Cross Country Opens Season at Hartford Invitational
HARTFORD, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's and women's cross country team opened up the 2024 season on Saturday, competing in the 1st Annual University of Hartford Invitational at Keney Park.
In the men's race, which was a 5K (5000 m), sophomore Jonathan Hecker (Falls Church, VA) paced the Mariners, crossing the finish line 91st overall with a time of 21:40.4. Freshman Collin Jefferson (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) was not far behind, finishing the race in 97th place at 23:08.4. Rounding out the Mitchell finishers were freshman Stefan Mier (Providence, R.I.) at 24.42.2, junior Tim O'Hayre (Hull, Mass.) at 24:57.6, and freshman Chase Donahue (Shirley, Mass.) who finished with a time of 32.02.4.
As a team, the Mitchell men placed 12th out of 12 teams, while Bentley University earned the top spot. Dillon Labonte earned the top spot individually, leading the field and finishing with a time of 15:49.7.
In the women's race, which was a 3K (3000 m), freshman Jordyn Streitmatter was the first Mitchell runner to finish, placing 73rd with a time of 16:12.6. Sophomore Inonda Peterson (Houston, TX) raced across the finish line 10 spots later in 19:37.2, while freshman Jade Hypolite (Houston, TX) was one spot behind Peterson with a time of 19:38.5. Junior Morgyn Persons (Bristol, Conn.) and senior Anna Kate Kochansky rounded out the pack for the Mariners with times of 21:00.5 and 28:01.4 respectively.
As a team, the Mitchell women placed 8th out of eight teams, while Bentley University took the top team spot. Caitlin Burmester of Bentley was the top individual finished, pacing the field with a final time of 10:59.1.
The Mariners are slated to return to action on Saturday, September 14th, when they compete in the Blazer Classic hosted by Elms College.
