Clinton, N.Y. – Freshman Rachel Strong (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) finished in fourth place to lead the Le Moyne College women's cross country team to a third-place finish at the Hamilton College Short Course Cross Country Invitational on Saturday afternoon. The men's team turned in a fourth-place finish.
RPI won the women's team competition with 29 total points. Hamilton placed second with 33 points, while the Dolphins recorded 78 points to place third. Clarkson tallied 88 points to finish fourth. RPI's Grace Tilton crossed the finish line first in a time of 14:35.1. RPI also captured the men's team competition with 28 points, Clarkson finished second with 50 points, Hamilton placed third with 59 points and the Dolphins finished fourth with 120 points. Hamilton's Charles Pfander won the men's race with a time of 19:12.6.
Strong, the reigning Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Week, navigated the four-kilometer course in 15:35.7 to place fourth. Sophomore Katherine Ward (Tully, N.Y./Tully) was the second Dolphin to cross the finish line for the second straight week, completing the course 14th in 16:17.1, while junior Laura Hough (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) placed 17th with a time of 16:29.2. Sophomore Dominique Laplant (Fabius, N.Y./Fabius-Pompey) finished 25th in 16:40.0, while junior Laura Quercia (Marcellus, N.Y./Marcellus/SUNY Cortland) placed 30th in 16:56.3.
On the men's side, senior Michael Marrero (Jordan, N.Y./Jordan-Elbridge) led the Dolphins by completing the six-kilometer course 32nd in 20:58.8, an improvement of 10.5 seconds from last week. Sophomore Adam Zinger (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool) was three spots behind in 35th place with a time of 21.05.3, 5.5 seconds faster than last week. Freshman Scott Besser (East Longmeadow, Mass./East Longmeadow) placed 49th in 21:51.5 in his collegiate debut, while senior Christian Cobb (Port Byron, N.Y./Port Byron) placed 53rd with a time of 22:00.2, 20.6 seconds quicker than last Saturday. Junior Josh Keeler (Little Falls, N.Y./Little Falls) rounded out Le Moyne's top-five finishers by completing the course in 23:35.6 to place 62nd.
Following an off-week, the Dolphins return to action on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Roberts Wesleyan College's Harry F. Anderson Invitational at 11:00 a.m.
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Women's Team Results
1. RPI 29, 2. Hamilton 33, 3. Le Moyne 78, 4. Clarkson 88.
Le Moyne Results
4. Rachel Strong 15:35.7, 14. Katherine Ward 16:17.1, 17. Laura Hough 16:29.2, 25. Dominique Laplant 16:40.0, 30. Laura Quercia 16:56.3, 33. Rachel Crosley 17:00.9, 43. Taylor Lewis 17:34.6, 50. Elena Doctor 17:58.6.
Men's Team Results
1. RPI 28, 2. Clarkson 50, 3. Hamilton 59, 4. Le Moyne 120.
Le Moyne Results
32. Michael Marrero 20:58.8, 35. Adam Zinger 21:05.3, 49. Scott Besser 21:51.5, 53. Christian Cobb 22:00.2, 62. Josh Keeler 23:35.6, 64. Jhonathon Cifuentes 23:58.7, 64. Aaron Wishik 24:20.3.
