Springville graduate’s cross-country team takes first place at recent invitational

BUFFALO — The Canisius College men’s and women’s cross-country teams competed in their final tune-up, prior to the conference championship.

On Saturday, Oct. 13, the Golden Griffins traveled to the campus of fellow Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference member Fairfield College, to compete in the fifth annual Father Laurence O’Neil SJ Invitational.

The men captured their second first place performance of the season and the women placed second.

“This is the best we have looked all season,” said Head Coach Nate Huckle. “Both teams had rock-solid execution of our game plan to go out under control and then move up through the field.”

In the field of nine teams, the Golden Griffin men secured their first-place finish with 25 points, followed by MAAC opponent Siena, with 76 points. The Saints edged Colgate, which had 77 points, for second place by one point, with a 76 – 77 advantage. Host Fairfield finished fourth on 107 points, with the Golden Griffins’ snapping the Stags’ run of three straight team titles.

Sophomore Chad Maloy, a Springville-Griffith Institute graduate, earned his second, individual title of the season, leading the field of 75 runners with a time of 25:44.

A total of six Griffs placed within the top nine slots of the 8K race, with freshman Cooper Roach’s taking third place with 26:05, to finish in the top three, with Maloy.

Beginning with sixth place, the Griffs occupied the next four spots, with freshman Travis Jordon in sixth (26:11), freshman Michael Anvelt in seventh (26:12), senior Alex Simon in eighth (26:13) and junior Nate McCabe in ninth (26:14).

“Chad set the pace for our men and they backed him up very well,” Huckle said. “For our gap between the first and sixth man to be as tight as 30 seconds, that shows a tremendous team effort.”

In the women’s race of eight teams, the Golden Griffin women placed second, with 50 points, behind champion Wagner College, which scored 40 points, to take the title. The Golden Griffs beat out host Fairfield College for second, by 1 point, with the Stags’ scoring 51 points.

Siena followed the Stags, for fourth, with 93 points.

Junior Mikelle Cala paced the Golden Griffin women, posting a third place finish, with a time of 19:20. Junior Jaime Wallace and sophomore Morgan Atkins joined Cala in the top 10, as Wallace placed fifth with 19:38, followed by Atkins in sixth with 19:45.

Rounding out the Griffs’ top five finishers were freshman Robin Wagner in 17th, with 20:27 and freshman Mary Kate Chambers in 19th, with 20:33.

“The women took a big step forward as a team, today,” said Huckle.

“Mikelle, Jaime and Morgan have been getting the job done up front for us, but our fourth through seventh runners really did their job out there.”

Canisius will next compete in the 2012 MAAC men and women’s cross-country championship held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Oct. 27. Both races will be aired on ESPN3.