The Edinboro men's and women's cross country teams continued their competitive seasons at the Iona Meet of Champions which was held at the nationally recognized Van Courtland Park in the Bronx, New York.
Coming off a very strong opening meet at the Dan Walker Invitational, the Scots faced some highly touted Division 1 talent in a field that included 23 teams.
On the men's side, Ben Hahn turned in a terrific performance, placing 10th among some top tier athletes from schools such as Wisconsin, Iona, Kent State and Harvard.
"I got out of the start fast and was able to secure a good position in the race early," Hahn said.
"I just ran my race from there and felt pretty strong the rest of the way."
Hahn was the top finisher for the Scots, crossing the line in an impressive 25:48. Following Hahn were freshman Sean Naderer, along with Chris Lantinen, both of whom finished strong in 49th and 50th, respectively. Dustin Thomas and Garth Watson rounded out the scoring for the Scots, finishing 56th and 94th respectively.
"I was very happy with some of the freshmen performances," head coach Doug Watts said. "We are starting to look more and more like a great team."
The team placed eighth in the competitive field with 221 total points. Kent State won the meet with a low score of just 59 points.
Although the Scots had a strong showing, they were still not at their best. Returning All-American Josh Arthur was forced to pull out of the race early because of a leg injury, as well as senior Andy Thoman.
"This was another great way for us to practice racing in preparation for the championship meets," said Watts. "We were able to turn in strong individual performances while still being a little cautious with some of our injured runners."
The women's team also turned in a strong showing in a season plagued by injuries. The Scots finished with 345 points. Tina Yi followed up her season-opening win at Buffalo State with another impressive top 10 finish. The junior placed eighth overall, finishing the hilly course in just 23:18. "I was very happy with my race, because I wasn't feeling as good as usual," Yi said. Though Yi turned in a great race, Watts was most impressed by Danielle Cerroni's strong performance. Cerroni finished just behind Yi in 15th, with a time of 23:33. "Danielle has put in so much work over the summer, and she is in great shape," said Watts. "She is turning herself into a very strong runner." Cheryl Svetz was the next finisher for the Scots, 90th (25:27). Lauren Scarupa, Hannah Kucewicz and Emily Hamilton, who rounded out the women's team, also made strides in making this young team better.
Assistant Coach and Edinboro Alumnus Aaron Rowe also competed in the race as an unattached runner. The former All-American placed fourth overall, battling for and holding the lead for most of the race.
Next up the Scots will host the Rag Relays on Saturday, Sept. 26.
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