Cross Country Strides Among Nation's Best

Author: Mike Mazzotta and Mike Kirkland

On Saturday, the cross country teams traveled to Williams College to compete in the Purple Valley Classic. Despite intense training since returning to campus and hot temperatures, the Panthers made their coaches quite proud. Both teams, and particularly the first-year men, ran well in very competitive fields filled with nationally ranked teams.
The women's 5K race featured three of the top five teams in the country: Middlebury, Williams and Geneseo. Co-captain Michela Adrian '03 once again led the Panthers with an impressive time of 18:35. Adrian outkicked a Williams runner to finish in second place, less than one second behind Williams' top runner. Rookie phenom Tom Icard '06 described the emotional roller-coaster ride he experienced during the final quarter mile of Adrian's race. "Watching Michela finish, I was reminded of Rocky I. She, like Balboa, fought so valiantly, falling just short. She moved me to tears." Sarah Logan '03 also ran a phenomenal race, finishing ninth overall and second for the Panthers with a blazing time of 19:15. Rounding out the top seven women were Jess Manzer '05, Marissa Cawley '05, Nora Segar '06, Kelsey Rinehart '06and Jordan MacClary '05.
The women finished third in the race overall behind Williams and Geneseo. Kaitlin Gregg '03 and Molly Yazwinski '04, two veterans, were unable to race on Saturday due to nagging injuries. The team eagerly awaits the return of these stars and looks forward to many more showdowns with Williams this season.
The Purple Valley Classic featured two men's races: a varsity 8K race and a freshmen 5K race. In the varsity race, Marshall Greene '04 continued to lead the Panther men with a time of 28:28. Sophomore sensation Jon Erwin ran in hot pursuit, clocking a time of 28:39. Nick Digani '05, Morgan Byrne '05, Nat Silverson '04, Mike Romankiewicz '03 and Chris Eberly '04 completed the top seven Middlebury men. Senior Melissa Cohen was thrilled by the Silverson's resurgence, "Big Man's BACK!" The men's varsity team placed eighth out of ten teams despite the fact that several of their young studs were competing in the first-year 5K race.
The Panthers' first-year men stole the show. In thrilling fashion, they won the team race with strong Middlebury-last-miles. Garrott Kuzzy '06 led the pack and won the race in a scorching time of 16:36. Mike Accordino and Nolan Sandygren captured third and fourth place in times of 16:50 and 16:55, respectively. Icard, Matt Marks, Charlie Logan and Mark Baker were fourth through seventh for the Panthers. These first-years are helping define a new era in Middlebury men's cross country. Senior Martin Wesolowski raved about his young teammates, "This class is talented and deep. Every week they show up and bring it." Yes Marty, the first-years brought it. They won the race, stole the crown from Williams and made these misty-eyed old reporters proud to be Panthers.
Next week the team will travel to Grafton, Mass., for the Tufts Invitational. The meet promises to be a showcase of the NESCAC's finest talent and its most established cross country programs.