UB Stampede
UB Men And Women Claim UB Stampede Invite Titles; Clarkin And Ahart Dominate
9/21/2013 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
GRAND ISLAND, NY – The University at Buffalo men's and women's cross country teams won the UB Stampede Invite held Saturday afternoon at Beaver Island State Park on Grand Island in a rain-filled afternoon in Western New York. The men claimed their third-straight Stampede title while the girls collected their first win of the season.
In the men's team competition, the Bulls tallied 20 points to outdistance second-place Binghamton's 36 as the Bulls placed four runners among the top five finishers and five within the top 10 of the race.
Leading the Bulls on Saturday was senior Zach Ahart who claimed the top overall finish in 25:44 for the 8K course. His time was 34 seconds ahead of his teammate Cameron Bruce, who took second-place honors in 26:18. Joining Ahart and Bruce across the finish line for the Bulls were sophomore Austin Coneys in third-place in 26:30, freshman Alec Peinkofer in fifth-place in 26:36 and junior Bobby Swick in ninth-place in a time of 26:42.
"The Men had a milestone today with all 20 men competing for the first time this year," stated head coach Vicki Mitchell. "The men dominated the course, with excellent front running by Zach Ahart. For many of the men, it was the first competition of the season and the expectation was to race hard, win as a team, and get the first 8k of the season under the belt."
In the women's 5K race, UB's Chrissy Clarkin claimed the individual title in 18:24, finishing just ahead of fellow Bull Gabby Leo who claimed second-place in 18:48. Clarkin backed up her second-place finish at the opening race of the year with her most dominating performance at the UB Stampede Invite.
Freshman Caroline Brown had her best finish of the young season on Saturday as she took home the third-place finish in 19:00. Following a Binghamton and Niagara runner, the Bulls had four more runners in the top-10. Freshman Corinne Birchard finished in sixth-place in 19:14, freshman Melinda Wheeler came in seventh-place in 19:17, Meaghan Wessel took eighth-place in 19:21 while Meagan Hopkins closed out the top-10 in 19:37.
"The Women ran just as planned – controlled and moving harder on the last mile of the course," said Mitchell. "That was represented well as you could see our pack of women move up throughout the race. In conditions like today, where rain plays a role in the pacing of the race, the goal is to come out with a strong performance and everyone healthy and we did just that."
UB's women took home the first place finish; collecting 19 points while Binghamton came in second-place (55) followed by Niagara (69) and Grove City (93).
"Both teams are moving in the right direction as we aim for our best performances at the MAC Championships and the NCAA Northeast Championships," said Mitchell.
The Bulls are next in action on Saturday, October 5 for the Paul Short Invite at Lehigh University.
Team scores
Men: Buffalo 20, Binghamton 36, Colgate 107, Niagara 123
Women: Buffalo 19, Binghamton 55, Niagara 69, Grove City 93
