The University of Rhode Island men’s and women’s cross country teams both competed at the Stanley Quarter Park meet hosted by Central Connecticut State on Friday. The men placed 12th overall and the women finished in 14th.
The men’s team was part of a five kilometer race, while the women’s team ran a three-kilometer race.
Leading the way for the men’s team was junior Jacob Magiera who finished in 62nd overall. Just behind Magiera was freshman Timothy Slack who finished in 69th overall, just six seconds behind Magiera with a time just over 16 minutes.
The third- and fourth-place finishers for Rhode Island were also freshmen as Nicholas Celico came in 73rd and Kevin Seaver finished just four spots behind him at 77th.
Rounding out the impressive performance of the six athletes in the event were seniors Michael MacLean and Thomas Fownes who placed 87th and 91st respectively.
“I think they all did great,†coach John Copeland said. “They showed improvements, and really, what more can you ask for other than that.â€
On the women’s side was the top performer for the men and women’s team, when senior Paige Ethier came in 27th overall. The next closest finisher for the Rams was freshman Bailey Thayer who clocked in at 64th overall.
Other runners to note for the women’s team was freshman Saige Grazia, senior Lanie Jowett, and junior Kelley Magill, who scored with finishes of 83rd, 92nd and 101st overall. The last runner for the women’s team was freshman Moira Collins who finished 10 spots behind Magill at 111th overall.
“We rested a few of our kids, so it was a nice tune up for everyone else,†coach Laurie Feit-Melnick said. “We are looking for everyone to run in a close group and run the best times of the season [in the Atlantic 10 Championships].â€
The Atlantic 10 Championships kick off next Saturday for the men’s and women’s teams in Virginia, hoping to spring into the winter track season on a positive note.