<ross country team fought one of the most challenging courses in the state and one of the deepest fields in the nation to finish 18th of 35 teams at Saturday’s Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis.
In what should hardly come as a surprise, Charlie Gamble ’10 was the first Knight across the line, finishing 34th in 26:55.7. Gamble ran patiently, reaching the 1-kilometer mark in 140th place.
John Davis ’11 finished 59th in 27:17.9 despite having run only 100 miles in the week leading up to the race. To be competitive at the MIAC Championships, Davis will need to increase his mileage to at least 120 per week, not including supplemental jogging.
Dylan Cheever ’11 ran perhaps the best race of the day for the Fellahs. Though inexperienced at 8-kilometers, Cheever’s intermediate splits were nearly perfect, and this efficiency showed late in the race.
Cheever was helped along the course by cheers from nearly every spectator. This reporter is at a loss for how one freshman could possibly know so many people. Even the meet officials at the starting line wished him good luck.
After running his best collegiate race, Cheever decided to improve his aerodynamics by getting a buzz cut. He now wears a hat he knitted himself to protect his newly-shaved scalp from the cold.
Chris Marshall ’10 and Kian Flynn ’12 rounded out the scoring for the Knights. Flynn’s 147 points give him a huge advantage in the prestigious intra-squad scoring race.
Bothered by sore butt for most of the season, Colin Sinclair ’11 struggled to a 29:17.3 clocking. He will undergo an aggressive rehabilitation program for his posterior, and will look to use his devastating finishing kick on a flat Wartburg course next weekend.
Sprinter-turned-distance-runner Michael Sanders ’10 cracked the Carleton top seven for the second straight meet. If Sanders races continue to improve at this rate, he will be a contender in the 3,000-meter race at indoor conference.
Adam Scherling ’13 snuck under the elusive 30-minute barrier for a second consecutive race, running 29:54.2. The San Diego, California native has had much success moving up to the 8-kilometer distance, and figures to be a valuable scorer in the Karhu Shoe race November 5th.
Two mysterious runners, Aaron Hivsh and Chas Kavch, appeared in the results as Carleton first-years. Reports indicate that these unknown individuals were actually last-minute substitutions Aaron Hirsh ’13 and Chas Karch ’13, and that head coach Dave Ricks has illegible handwriting.
John Kittaka ’13 and Ben Parks ’11 also competed for the Knights, making their Roy Griak Invitational debuts.
The harriers have this weekend off before heading to Wartburg next Saturday. The Waverly, Iowa course is the site of the NCAA Central Region Championships in 2010 and 2011.
The Knights’ only full-squad home meet of the season takes place October 17th in the Upper Arboretum. These are the final two tune-ups before the MIAC Championships on Halloween.