The Houghton cross country team had great success on their home course at the Field of Dreams on Saturday, October 8. The Highlanders competed against six teams, with both the men and women taking second place.
According to head coach, Patrick Hager, almost everyone on the women’s side ran a lifetime personal record, and both teams beat Allegany County rival Alfred State. “Alfred’s beat us the past couple of years, so it’s nice to see us get a win over them,” said Hager.
The Highlanders of Houghton competed against Roberts Wesleyan, Penn State Behrend, Alfred State, Keuka, Finger Lakes Community College, and Elmira. Penn State Behrend took first place in both the men’s and women’s races.
The men and women had several athletes finish in the top 10, and both teams ran faster than they have in the past three years.
Reflecting on the team’s success, Rachel Hummel ‘16 said, “It was really rewarding for all of us to have months of training visibly pay off, especially at the last home meet of the season.”
Hummel finished sixth in her race, right behind teammate Ella Hotchkiss ‘18 who placed fifth. Gwen Stokes ‘20, finished close behind finishing eighth. All three competitors finished within 15 seconds of each other.
“Running alongside some of my closest friends is a huge motivator. We’ve been through alot together in training and I think we would all say that we couldn’t and wouldn’t do it alone,” said Hummel.
Stokes attributed their success to their committed mindset of racing as a team and not just as individuals. “Running together as a pack is really nice and motivational because it really makes you remember that you aren’t doing this for yourself, you are running for your teammates,” she said.
On the men’s side, Tyler Deuschle ‘20 was the first finisher for the Highlanders, placing sixth. Not far behind was Matthew Gostomski ‘19 placing tenth, Daniel Burdo ‘20 placing eleventh, and Cory McCarty ‘17 placing thirteenth.
“We have some very strong underclassmen guys who have really brought a lot of success to our team. I’m excited to see them led the team and keep improving over the next several years,” said captain Aaron Eisenhardt ‘17.
Hager commented, “This is the closest team I’ve had the pleasure of coaching. The freshmen really adjusted quickly and mix well with the upperclassmen personality. I think everyone will look back on this season with a big smile because of how close the team got.”
According to Hager, the meet resulted in the best overall races for the cross country teams in his three years as a coach. The meet was also the biggest home invitational they’ve hosted.
“We got confidence at this meet, and our athletes know that they’re fit and capable of running even faster in a few weeks. We pride ourselves on having a pretty consistent team, and peaking well at the end of our season. After competing so well, it’s fun that we still have a couple of championship races ahead,” said Hager.