On Oct. 24, the men’s and women’s cross-country teams attended the NYSCTC Cross Country Championships in Clinton, New York.
The men placed ninth as a team out of nine teams overall for a combined 230 points. The women’s squad fared a little better than the men did, placing fifth as a team out of nine teams overall, finishing with a total of 134 points.
The men’s team sent six runners to the event. The top runner this season for the Bombers, Sawyer Hitchcock, along with the squad’s other top eight runners, did not attend the meet because they were resting for the Empire 8 Championships on Oct. 31, head coach Jim Nichols said.
There were a total of 96 competitors in the race for the men. Freshman Owen Memelo led the men, finishing in 44th place with a time of 27:43. The next finisher on the men’s side for the Bombers was freshman John Blake, who finished in 57th place with a time of 28:27.
The other finishers for the men’s team were sophomore Eric Melcer, who placed 62nd with a time of 28:44. Finishing right behind him was senior Connor Cleveland with a time of 28:45. The South Hill squad did not have to wait long for its final two runners to finish, as freshman Daniel Hart placed 67th with a time of 28:58, while finishing right after him was fellow freshman Sam Hayden with a time of 29:06.
The women’s cross-country team sent seven runners to the meet, which was composed of 86 total women competitors. The leading runner for the Bombers was sophomore Sierra Grazia, who finished in 22nd place with a time of 24:06. Next up for the women was freshman Hailey Nase with a time of 24:19.1. Finishing right behind her and in third for the Blue and Gold was sophomore Georgia Caplen with a time of 24:19.3.
The next two women runners for the Bombers also finished neck in neck. Freshman Amanda St. Clair finished in 31st place with a time of 24:32.1, while sophomore Alexis Kindig finished in 32nd place with a time of 24:34.8. Placing sixth for the Blue and Gold and 39th overall was senior Sydney Glenn, who finished with a time of 24:48. Finishing 55th overall and seventh for the squad was freshman Julia Rand with a time of 26:02.
Both the men and women will be looking for better finishes on Oct. 31 when they travel to Houghton, New York, for the Empire 8 Championship.
