UAA CHAMPIONSHIPS ...
CLEVELAND, OH (October 27, 2007) -
The 25th ranked Case Western Reserve University men’s cross country team placed third at the 21st annual University Athletic Association Championships at Franklin Park in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Spartans improved immensely this season, as they finished seventh in the UAA a year ago. Case Western Reserve hadn’t placed better than fourth since 1993.
“I was so ecstatic with a third place finish that I did a cartwheel,” exclaimed Head Coach Kathy Lanese. “The men have gone to a whole new level of running in just a year’s time.”
Second ranked New York University finished first with 20 points followed by 18th ranked Carnegie Mellon in second with 68 points and Case Western Reserve finished third with 121 points.
Junior Dominic Smith (New Richmond, OH-pictured) finished fifth overall with a time of 25:20. Smith, who has finished in the top-ten in every race this season, had never placed better than 17th at the UAA Championships. Smith was the lone Spartan named to the 2007 All-UAA first team.
Case Western Reserve junior Ryan Gjoraas (Plymouth, MN) placed 16th with a time of 26:02, junior captain Mike Petro (Cincinnati, OH) finished 23rd with a time of 26:12 and sophomore Austin Schmidt (Lexington, OH) placed 36th with a time of 26:31.
“The veterans are leading our team right now and it’s exciting knowing where they stand today and where they may stand next year,” Lanese said. “I’m really excited for the men’s team and the best is yet to come.”
The Spartans have a week off to help prepare for the NCAA Great Lakes Regionals at Calvin College on November 10th. The Spartans are ranked fourth in the Great Lakes Region and hope to qualify for nationals as a team.
Results
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