LOCK HAVEN, Pa. (Sept. 24) – A record-breaking performance by junior
Tim Patterson led the Saint Vincent men's cross country team to a strong showing in the Crimson Race at the Lock Haven University Invitational.
Patterson covered the 8-kilometer course in 24:48 to place 10th overall – and first among NCAA Division III runners – in a field of 290. His performance shattered the previous SVC record of 24:52 set by All-American Chansler Poole on Oct. 13, 2012.
Patterson's effort led the Bearcats to an eighth-place finish in a strong field of 34 teams hailing from all three NCAA classifications. Saint Vincent finished with a team score of 267.
"I'm extremely proud of our team," said Saint Vincent head coach
Kevin Wanichko. "They showed up today and proved that their hard work is paying off. I'm so happy for Tim, as he put his name above so many great names in our program. The men behind him packed up nice and pushed each other to great races."
Each of Saint Vincent's top five competitors finished in the top third of the field, as after Patterson, just 12 seconds separated the Bearcats' second through fifth runners.
Joey Jafarace was SVC's second finisher, placing 77th overall in 26:38, just two seconds ahead of
Joe Bujdos (26:40), who placed 81st.
Jeremy Capella placed 85th in 26:48, while
Brady Sundin completed SVC's scoring five with a time of 26:50 to place 87th.
Aiden Jackson posted a time of 27:07 to place 103rd, with
Ethan Wymer placing 119th in 27:15 and
Jeffrey Raynor 129 in 27:19.
In the second race of the day, the White Race, Saint Vincent placed fifth in a field of 14 teams with a score of 126.
The Bearcats had three runners place in the top-20 of the 154-runner field, led by
Jacob Rzempoluch, sho placed 16th in 27:39.
August Anderson (27:45.30) and
Matthew Thomas (27:45.80) followed closely behind, placing 18th and 19th, respectively.
Rounding out SVC's scoring five,
Michael Drazga placed 39th in 28:21 and
Jordan Raynor 45th in 28:37.
The Bearcats will face another tough test when they return to action on Saturday, Oct. 1, when they travel to Lansing, Michigan, to take part in the NCAA Division III National Preview Meet.
