After a three-week layoff without any meets, the men's and women's cross country teams were in action Friday afternoon at Cornell's Reif Memorial Invitational, a non-scoring competition that included host school Cornell, Syracuse, Cortland State and Ithaca.
Weather played a major factor in the race, changing its course at the last minute due to inconsistent rain overnight. Although chilly and breezy during the race, the rain let up before the start.
The men's race was a five-mile run consisting of 37 runners. Senior Andy Leonard finished fifth with a time of 27:28, coming in behind four Cornell runners. The Big Red's Jason Brown won the race with a time of 26:55.
The Bulls got good results from freshmen Jason Ayr and Scott Dickover. Ayr's final time was 27:36, which resulted in eighth place. Dickover finished the race in 27:52, which was good for 12th.
"The men ran decent today," said head coach Vicki Mitchell. "It was tough to see how they did because the race course changed. The guys weren't ready for the change, so they were not used to some spots on the course."
Buffalo's next top finishers came in 20th through 24th. These runners were junior Dan Giza, senior Dave Welby, junior Chuck Laderer and senior Paul Riley. All of these runners finished the race under 28:25.
Senior Chris McClure and sophomore Dan Healy rounded out the field for Buffalo. McClure came in 32nd and Healy's overall finish was 35th. McClure ended up with a time of 28:59 and Healy's time was 29:48.
The women's race was a 5K that included 40 runners. The top finisher for the Bulls was senior Kate Kohout, who finished in 10th place with a time of 19:12. This time ties her season-high mark, which was set at the Toledo Invitational. Syracuse's Amanda Hicks came in first-place with a time of 18:20.
The next two runners for Buffalo to complete the race were sophomore Jessica Schultz and senior Karen Corey. Schultz came in 15th place and crossed the line in 19:31 and Corey finished the meet in 19:42, which was good for 19th.
Senior Michelle Quinn and freshman Julia Whelan were running their last meet of the season. Both girls ended their season in a happy manner by posting their best times of the year; Quinn finished the race with a time of 21:52, Whelan finished in 22:05.
The girl's team was running without sophomore Mary Veith and junior Aleksandra Bykowska, their top two runners - they instead rested for next weekend's Mid-American Conference Championships.
"The course was sloppy today," Mitchell said. "It was a hard race to run and the time pace was slower than what was expected for both the men and the women."
Buffalo is used to running these types of races. Over the month of October, rain has been consistent in the Buffalo area and the team practices every day in this weather.
"This team is well prepared to run in muddy courses," Mitchell said. "We are used to training in the rain and feel we have an advantage in those types of races."
Because of the long lay-off between competitions, the Bulls had to run this race differently. Coach Mitchell was prepared to put out her B team and rest her top seven runners, but changed her strategy for the meet.
"The runners wanted to go out and compete," Mitchell said. "They wanted to give their best effort and get ready for the best competition of the year next weekend."
The Bulls used this race as a tune-up for the MAC Championships next weekend. Both the men and the women feel confident going into next week's championships and are familiar with the track that they will be competing on.
"We are excited about racing at home," Mitchell said. "We know the course is a slow running one and we know that it is also a flat course."
Buffalo will host the MAC Championships next Saturday, Oct. 28 at Beaver Island State Park. The men's race begins at 11 a.m., while the women start at noon.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
