Sept. 27, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Led by freshman Mary Kate DuBard’s 21st-place finish, the Georgia Tech women’s cross country team placed 14th at the University of Minnesota Roy Griak Invitational on Saturday. The Yellow Jacket men finished 17th.
“We felt like both teams competed well on a challenging course,” head coach Alan Drosky said. “This meet will help us later in the season.”
DuBard covered the six-kilometer course in a time of 21:59, as she finished 21st among 222 competitors. She was followed by freshman Annie Martin, who placed 90th with a time of 23:31, and senior Veronica Kinard, who posted a time of 23:38 to finish 96th. Also scoring for the Jackets was junior Lindsey Pickens (23:40) and sophomore Felicity Brower (23:44). The women’s squad posted a total of 405 points.
“The women showed some toughness today,” Drosky added. “For seven of them in their first 6k, they ran well. Mary Kate was outstanding and Felicity stepped up big-time in this meet.”
On the men’s side, Tech was led by senior E.C. Gibbs, who placed 67th with a time of 25:37 in the 8K race. Following Gibbs was classmate Nazar Trilisky, who placed 75th in a time of 25:45, and sophomore Mark Mendrek-Laske, who clocked a 26:03 to finish 97th. Also scoring for the men was junior Billy Mateker and senior Casey Gramling. The men totaled 453 points.
“The men had a 38 second spread from 1-5, which is very solid. We’re seeing some steady improvement but still have work to do. EC and Nazar had excellent showings and Mark ran much better today.”
Host Minnesota took the title on the women’s side with 31 points, while Adams State was victorious among the men with 75 points. Arizona State’s Kari Hardt claimed the women’s individual title with a time of 21:18, while Auburn’s Elkanah Kibet led the men’s field with a time of 23:55.
Both the men’s and women’s teams will be back in action Saturday, Oct. 4 at the Auburn Invitational in Auburn, Ala.
Women's 6K Results:1 Mary Kate DuBard FR 21:592 Annie Martin FR 23:313 Veronica Kinard SR 23:384 Lindsey Pickens JR 23:405 Felicity Brower SO 23:446 Betsy Kim FR 23:457 Ashley Keck SR 24:40
Men’s 8K Results:/pre> 1 Ec Gibbs SR 25:37 2 Nazar Trilisky SR 25:45 3 Mark Mendrek-Laske SO 26:03 4 Billy Mateker JR 26:15 5 Casey Gramling SR 26:15 6 Dj McMillan SO 26:24 7 Matt Hickey JR 26:26<
