UVM places well at Pre-AEast meet

The men’s and women’s cross country ran to a second place finish at the Pre-America East meet on Sept. 13, showing potential for things to come in conference meets.

UVM hosted the meet, mainly because they will be hosting the America East Championship at the end of October. The meet gave other teams a chance to gain experience and get a feel for the course before the championships.

The teams and head coach Matt Belfield are thrilled with the opportunity to host the championship, which UVM hasn’t hosted in over a decade.

“We are excited about hosting this year,” head coach Matt Belfield said, “it’s our first time since 1999.”

The women’s team had a solid showing, having three runners place in the top ten at the race, with sophomore Morgan Powers  finishing third overall.

The championship meet is over a month away and so the Cats will look to continue to remain sharp and ready to perform.

On the men’s side, senior Doug Maisey placed second overall, coming into this season in good shape. His eyes are focused on an individual conference championship after being the first Catamount since 2001 to earn a top ten finish in the American East Championship last year.

His second place finish made his goal of an individual championship seem very realistic.
Belfield mention the progress of the younger classmen, saying that there are a lot of freshmen making an impact on the men’s side. He attributed their early success to the runners having made the transition from high school competition to collegiate competition seamlessly.

But like any dedicated team in a competitive sport, the cross-country teams are looking to improve. Belfied thinks there are runners in the wings ready to step into the spotlight and make an impact.

“There are a bunch of guys in the mix to step up into bigger roles on the men’s side,” Belfield said. “We would like to keep the pack tighter and run with strength in numbers.”

But overall, Belfield was happy with his team’s performance and start to the season, being both surprised and impressed by some solid performances from freshman Debbie Isen and sophomore Andrew Donaghy.

“We are looking to compete well as a team,” Belfield said, “but it’s early and we are putting our emphasis on training and teamwork.”

The cross-country teams will look to maintain the momentum gained at the Pre-America East Meet when they enter the Paul Short Invitational on Friday, Oct. 2nd, hosted by Bucknell.