Calvin Invitational

The Allegheny men moved up a spot to #5 in this week's national polls, largely due to their dominating performance at the Calvin Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 19. Host Calvin College is ranked seventh in the nation for NCAA Division III schools, but they couldn't hold off Allegheny, who had four men finish before Calvin's second runner. After their great seasons on the track last year, Chris Marker and Jeremie Parker continued to improve, finishing second and 6th overall in new PR's of 25:01 and 25:12. Zac Ross was close behind in 25:18 for 8th place. The top 6 athletes finished with a 51 second spread. They included Jake Zimmerman (12th, 25:31), Tony Dipre (20th, 25:50) and Pat McLaughlin (21st) in a PR of 25:52. The team scored 48 points to win the meet, defeating runner-up Calvin (83 points), Ohio Northern (#19 in the nation in NCAA Division III), Aquinas (#8 in the nation in NAIA), and Indiana Tech (#15 in the nation in NAIA).

The women entered the meet ready to prove themselves. With great weather and a fast course on their side, they stepped up their game. Senior Mia Symoniak led the way with a fifth place finish and a new PR of 18:10.3. Katie Stancik (JR) followed in 18:54. The next four athletes were a mix of freshmen and returners, but all set new PR's. They included Kelly Gallagher (FR, 19:00), Sam Zink (JR, 19:29), Hannah Serlin (FR, 19:45), and Angie Dyer (JR. 20:05). As a team, the women were fourth behind Calvin (#2 in the nation for NCAA Division III), Case Western Reserve (#13 in NCAA), and Baldwin-Wallace (#35 in NCAA), and ahead of Aquinas (#15 in the nation in NAIA), Spring Arbor (#17 in NAIA) and conference rivals Ohio Wesleyan.

As a result of their fine races, Mia Symoniak and Chris Marker were named NCAC Runner's of the Week. The next meet on the schedule is the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University.