September 17, 2011

Devils Run Well Against Nationally-Ranked Field

By Dennis Young

The Dickinson women's cross-country team ran to a solid eighth-place finish today at Penn State's Spiked Shoe Invitational. The competition was mostly Division I and Division II teams, although DIII's SUNY-Geneseo, ranked sixth-nationally, and SUNY-Cortland ranked 26^th (finishing a mere two points ahead of the Red Devils) were both there.

The women of Georgetown, apparently sitting only one or two of their top runners, provided an opportunity that is exceedingly rare for a Dickinsonian; the chance to compete against the #1 ranked team in Division I.

Against such stiff competition, senior Catherine Campbell (Carlisle, PA/Trinity) acquitted herself quite well, finishing 13^th and running 22:11 for the hilly 6000 meter course. The time was one of the fastest 6ks Campbell has run in her decorated four-year career.

A mere 17 seconds back, in 19^th place, was sophomore Taylor Ludman (Willow Street, PA/Solanco) also posting one of her fastest times ever, on any course. The strong times run this early in the season, on such a difficult course, bode well for the next two months.

Ludman would be the first of three consecutive sophomores to cross the line for the Red Devils. The second one, and the team's third scorer, was Emily Miller (Lenhartsville, PA/Kutztown) in 23:15. She was followed by Sara Patterson (Houston, TX/St. John's School), approximately 45 seconds back.

The women's final scorer was first-year Sarah Rutkowski (Swarthmore, PA/Strath Haven) in 24:12. Patterson's finish of fourth on the team was the highest of her college career, while Rutkowski's performance was impressive considering it was her 6k debut.

The Red Devils return to competition next Saturday; they will be hosting the Dickinson Long-Short Invitational at nearby Big Spring High School beginning at 10:30 am.