The University of Maine Cross Country team competed against the University of New Hampshire in their first home meet of the season on Friday, battling higher-than-expected temperatures.
The UMaine women’s team was led by fourth-year Haley Lawrence, who finished sixth overall with a time of 19:59 and an average page of 6:25 per mile. Bringing in the second-place finish for the Black Bears was second-year Emma Jourdain in seventh place overall, with a finishing time of 20:03 and an average pace of 6:26.
The third runner was third-year Elisabeth Redwood, who finished neck-and-neck with UNH’s Danielle Gajewski and crossed the line with a time of 20:51 and an average of 6:42.
UMaine’s fourth and fifth finishers were fourth-year Faith Gardener and third-year Tiffany Tanner, finishing with 21:15 and 21:25 respectively.
Hope Gardener, a fourth-year student, was the Black Bear’s sixth finisher, with a time of 21:30. She was followed by a second-year, Sara Hunt who finished with a time of 21:48.
Finishers Macolini (22:23), Lucci (22:35), Porter (22:47), Magnuson (23:55), Griffin (25:08), Yost (22:23), Sockalexis (25:51), and McCarthy (26:34) all competed well and showcased the dedication of the UMaine cross country team.
UNH Wildcat Madeline Burgess took the winning spot with a total time of 19:31.
The women’s team fell to UNH, with the Wildcats winning with a score of 15 and the UMaine Black Bears finishing strong with 46 points.
The men’s team triumphed at their first home meet on the same day, however, taking home the winning title with a score of 22 against the Wildcats score of 34.
Fourth-year student Aaron Willingham took home the first-place finish, completing the 5-mile course in a time of 25:48 and maintaining an average pace of 5:09.
Willingham was followed by Colin Tardiff, a third-year who finished with a time of 27:21 and an average pace of 5:28. The third-place mens finisher for UMaine was Ethan Orach, a second-year, who completed the course in 27:49 with an average pace of 5:33. Jacob Terry, a fourth-year, came in fourth for the Black Bears with a time of 27:53 and an average of 5:34. Daniel Lesko, a fourth-year as well, followed Terry and finished with a time of 27:54 and an average of 5:34.
James Olivier, first-year, finished sixth for the Black Bears, with a time of 28:17 and a pace of 5:39. He was followed by Cooper Nelson, a third-year, who finished with a time of 29:47 and a pace of 5:57.
The top finisher for the Wildcats was Aidan Sullivan, who came in second place overall with a finishing time of 27:20.
Black Bears Nickerson (30:40) and Levesque (31:39) brought in a solid finish to the meet.
The UMaine teams were challenged in their first home meet, but proved that they were up to par. Both teams will be competing again at the New England Regionals, which will be hosted by Boston University on Oct. 6.
