Pioneer cross country wraps up breakout season with solid performances at Great Lakes Regional
Marietta women finish 21st, while men take 25 at 31-team event

Nov. 11, 2006
HANOVER, Ind. — The Marietta College men and women's cross country team wrapped up its most successful season since the program's reinstatement with solid day of racing Saturday morning (Nov. 11) at the Great Lakes Regional, which was hosted by Hanover College.

The Pioneer women, who had not previously competed as a team at the event, finished in 21st place (570 points), while Marietta's men improved three spots from its 2005 finish, taking 25th (676 points) in the 31-team field.

Calvin's men took the individual title with 17 points, while Case Western's women won the women's crown with 53 points.

"Overall, this was a great way to concluded a memorable season for both squads," said Head Coach Derek Stanley. "Everyone ran hard today and we will be able to use this performance as we continue to build our program."

The Pioneer men had a very young squad—one senior, two juniors, one sophomore and three freshmen—toe the line for the 8K competition.

Junior Harrison Potter (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili) was the first Marietta runner to cross the finish, taking 78th with a time of 27:31.5. He placed 58 spots higher than last year. Classmate John Hull (Scott Depot, W.Va./Winfield), who missed the 2005 race with an injury, was next in, finishing 95th with a time of 27:48.4.

Freshman Mike Siringer (Willowick/Willoughby South) was the first of the newcomers to finish. He took 124th place, crossing the line in 28:26.2. Freshman Kevin Hazlett (Akron/St. Vincent-St. Mary), who was filling in for an injured teammate, took 188th place (30:01.1) and sophomore Joseph Wynes (East Aurora, N.Y.) rounded out the scoring with a 91st-place finish (30:08.3).

Senior Andrew Wichie (Brunswick) (193rd/30:17.8) and freshman Kent Reiber (Avon Lake) (31:06.1) also competed in the event.

"The men showed a lot of heart," said Stanley. "Even though we are very young squad, the improvement shows signs that the program is moving in the right direction."

Marietta's women competed for the first time as a team in the Regional. Last year, the Pioneers' lone competitor finished 106th. In 2006, Marietta had three runners equal or better that accomplishment.

Sophomore Jessi Larrison (Batavia) once again was the Pioneers' top runner, taking 83rd place with a time of 24:59.6. Freshman Shannon McDonald (Lorain/Amherst Steele) was right on her tail, finishing 88th with a time of 25:06.0.

Freshman Kaity Smith (Essex Junction, Vt.) came in 106th place, crossing the line of the 6K course in 25:26.9. Senior Brea Gardner (Somerset/Sheridan) closed out her cross country career with a 131st place finish (25:55.1), while freshman Stephanie Williams (Marietta/Warren Local) (26:59.6) and senior Jamie Schneider (Portland, Mich./St. Patrick) (27:07.0) took 163rd and 166th, respectively. Both set new personal records Saturday.

"The women ran a great race, especially out top four runners," said Stanley, "This is another great boost for the program."