Full Results

By Taylor Throckmorton '12

OBERLIN, Ohio - On a cold and rainy day on the campus of Oberlin College, the Allegheny men's cross country team slogged their way to a 6th place team finish at the Inter Regional Rumble.  
 
The game plan for the Gators was to get out fast and push the pace more than usual right from the start.  With postseason competitions looming on the horizon, the team was out to make a statement at a meet featuring many of the top teams from multiple regions.
 
"The idea was to have our freshmen get out in groups that they haven't been with in prior races, and to an extent it worked" said head coach Brent Wilkerson.
 
This strategy worked for freshman Carter Smith, who closed in 26:56, good for 92nd place overall and 5th for the Gators.  "Having Carter Smith finish in the top 5 and get a lot closer to the top four was awesome to see," the coach continued.  "Some of the guys may have been too aggressive in the early stages, but that was the plan.  They needed to get out with groups that they may not have thought possible before and get their feet wet racing at that pace."
 
At the top, the Gators were led by Logan Steiner, who took fifth place, completing the 8 kilometer course in 25:34.  "Having Logan run this fast in the mud and rain and hang with some of the top guys in the country shows a big step in the right direction" said Wilkerson.  Steiner was followed by sophomore Randy Violette, 26:09, and freshman Luke Regan, 26:23.
 
Perhaps the biggest performance for the Gators came from sophomore Dan Cheung who ran a new personal best despite the conditions, crossing the tape in 26:26, taking 48th place.  "Cheung being able to hang in there with Luke and Randy was phenomenal" stated Wilkerson.  
 
Closing out the top 7 for the Gators were Senior Alex Simon, 27:32, and sophomore Emmett Barr, 27:37.
 
Looking forward, the Gators' next race will be the North Coast Athletic Conference Championship, hosted by Denison University on November 1.  The Gators will look to improve on the race strategy from today, and bring their fifth, sixth, and seventh runners even closer to their leaders.
 
 "That is the main thing separating us from the top teams,"  observed Wilkerson.  "It's not healthy to have big gaps between your 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th runners."  
 
With two weeks to prepare, the team is optimistic that they can get to where they want to be.