The Observer, September 7, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 2
Women win, men take third in cross country tournament
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The women's cross country team placed first and the men took third in the Bill Sudek Classic last Saturday. The tournament, held at the Case-owned Squire Valleevue Farm, featured 14 teams competing on the women's side and 10 on the men's side. Some of the Spartan's toughest opponents came from Edinboro University, a Division II school.
Case's Esther Erb and Edinboro's Rachael Lanzel had each already run just under five km. Erb trailed Lanzel, who had beaten her by 40 seconds in last year's Sudek Classic, by a couple strides. Neither runner let up as they ran full speed to the finish line. Lanzel came out ahead by a mere two seconds. Both athletes broke the previous course record.
"I wish I'd won," said Erb. "We're both seniors and we both wanted to win." Despite her setback, Erb was enthusiastic about the team's performance. "It's great. We've never won this tournament before," said Erb. The Spartans were able to win without their number-two runner, Britta Kumley, who could not compete due to an academic commitment. The fact that the Spartans were able to win without Kumley is a testament to the team's depth. Three women besides Erb placed in the top 10 for Case: Andrea Fischione (seventh), Joy Zhu (ninth), and Justine Jeroski (10th).
"I think a big part of our success last weekend was due to the emphasis the team placed on summer training," said Lanese. Home field advantage also helped the Spartans. "We knew the course," said sophomore Brian Cromer. "We've had three workouts here this year." This preparation can be helpful on a course that Lanese describes as "deceptively difficult," featuring a second mile that is entirely uphill. "It helps to know on the back loop how much you have left," said freshman Brian Link.
The men were pleased with their third- place finish. "We did great," said co-captain Mike Werneiwski. "We're faster than we were last year."
Junior Dominic Smith ran well, placing fourth with a time of 26:17:00, setting a personal record for the course. Smith was pleased with the team's effort. "The team ran together more than it has the last two years and we showed a lot more depth this year than we have in years past," said Smith. "The team has a lot of experience to draw from right now with four of our top five being juniors and we have a lot of very strong freshmen who are hoping to get a chance to contribute," said Smith. One of those freshmen turning in quality performances was Reza Mohammadpour, who placed 12th with a time of 27:14:00. Junior Ryan Gjoraas placed 13th, finishing three seconds after Mohammadpour. Werneiwski finished 16th.
Lanese was pleased to see the men running as a pack. "It's so important in cross country," said Lanese. "At the national meet, people are separated by only a few seconds. If you have a group that can stick together, it makes a huge difference in the point total." Erb and Smith were each named UAA Athlete of the Week. The Spartans will host the Alumni Meet tomorrow at 9 a.m.
