Elmira Opens 2016 in Alfred State 5K
ALFRED, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's cross country team opened the 2016 campaign with a 5,000-meter race at the Alfred State Invitational on Friday afternoon.
The shorthanded Soaring Eagles, who were missing two runners, finished second out of the two teams within enough participants to qualify. The hosts from Alfred State College won the event, which included individuals from Keuka College and Kent State University at Tuscarawas in the 30-man field.
Zac Park '17 led the quintet of Soaring Eagles with a 14th-place finish. He successfully navigated the hilly 5K course on the campus of Alfred State in 20:58.11, equaling a 6:45.00 average mile.
Justin Gillule '19 was the next Elmira runner to cross the finish line, doing so in 22nd place with a time of 25:16.64.
Juniors
Tony Seward '18 and
Jarritt Himmelreich '18 finished in back-to-back spots at 25th and 26th, respectively. Seward was clocked with a time of 27:14.23, which was just 9.28 seconds faster than Himmelreich. Rounding out the runners from EC was fellow junior
Jonathan Muller '18 in 29th place (29:27.37).
News and Notes
- Friday's race marked the first time in the last two years that the Soaring Eagles have competed in a 5,000-meter race.
- Park's 14th-place finish is the highest by any EC runner in any race since the reemergence of men's cross country at Elmira in 2015.
Elmira Men's Results
The following is a run-down of Elmira's overall finishing times and overall finish ranks among all competitors both attached and unattached.
14 –
Zac Park '17 – 20:58.11
22 –
Justin Gillule '19 – 25:16.64
25 –
Tony Seward '18 – 27:14.23
26 –
Jarritt Himmelreich '18 – 27:23.51
29 –
Jonathan Muller '18 – 29:27.37
Team Results
- Alfred State – 15
- Elmira – 50
Up Next
The Elmira College men's cross country team will return to action on Saturday, September 10th, in the 2016 Steven A. Warde Fighting Tiger Invitational, hosted by SUNY Cobleskill.