The Shippensburg University men’s and women’s cross-country seasons got off to a good start at the Piper Alumni Open at the SU recreation fields.
The men had four runners place in the Top 15. Harrison Schettler led the way for the Raiders, placing sixth with a time of 19:41, followed closely by teammate Sean Weidner in seventh with 19:42.
Dominic Stroh rounded out the Top 10 finishers for the Raiders, finishing ninth with 19:54. The team finished tied for second with the SU alumni team, led by former standout Matt Gillette who won the race with a time of 18:40. His finish was a new five-second record for the course. Chris Mullin also represented the alumni well, placing third with 19:26. The team from Dickinson College claimed the title with all five of its runners finishing in the Top 13.
The SU women’s team also finished second with 54 points. Three Raiders finished in the Top 10, led by Bryanna Dissinger in third with a time of 15:00. Two freshmen impressed with their times, as Jenna Robbins and Isabella Marchini finished fifth (15:05) and eighth (15:10), respectively.
The SU alumni team was led by Mary Fuller in fourth with 15:01. The alumni finished fifth overall with 112 points. Dickinson claimed the crown again with 44 points and four of its runners taking the ninth through 12th place spots.
In the preseason, SU head coach Steve Spence said that the team would be training hard through the first few meets, meaning that they did not plan on having peak performances in the first few races.
“Our goal is to peak when it really counts at the end of the season for the PSAC, Atlantic Region and the NCAA Championships,” Spence said.
Both teams will be back in action this weekend for the Division II/III Challenge hosted by Kutztown University.
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