The Kent State cross country team traveled to Bowling Green on Friday to compete in the Falcon Invite.
The highlight of the day was freshman Michael Hanselman’s second-place performance in the men’s 8K race (25:16.9). He finished just .8 seconds ahead of the next runner.
“Michael Hanselman did very well,” coach Laura Rybka said. “He had a very strong second place finish.”
This was his fourth time this season being the first Flash across the finish line.
“It was a step in the right direction for the men,” Rybka said. “Excellent pack running. A lot of people were sick, but the mentality and focus was there.”
Following Hanselman was freshman Owen Kelly placing 34th (26:17.7), freshman Tanner Smith placing 36th (26:22.7), graduate student Carter Almady placing 39th (26:28.7) and junior Jack Curtis placing 42nd (26:35.1).
The women’s team ran the 6K, and the highlight was two top-25 placements from freshman Camille Dunifer and graduate student Grace Smith. Dunifer placed 18th with a time of 22:20.5, and Smith followed her in 25th place with a time of 22:33.9.
“The women did well with pack running,” Rybka said. “It was possibly the best group work I have seen. It was amazing.”
Next was sophomore Nora Salem in 40th place (23:08.9), junior Ella McCollom in 44th place (23:13.8), and freshman Aurora Streleckis in 48th place (23:19.8).
“Aurora Streleckis dropped almost two minutes from her previous 6K time,” Rybka said.
KSU finished fifth in both the men’s and women’s team standings. The men’s team finished with a team time of 2:11:02 and the women’s team finished with a team time of 1:54:37.
Overall, Rybka was very pleased with the woman’s team’s effort and grit throughout the race.
“The women overall did amazing,” she said. “They really went for it, and stayed composed and challenged the whole race. I also was proud of how some of the girls had some illness but pushed regardless and gave all they had.”
On the men’s team, Rybka hopes to see mild improvement moving forward, but she was also encouraged by the group’s mentality.
“I would like to see more movement with the men in the last 2-3K,” she said. “I think that the men worked together and stayed focused.”
Up next
The Flashes next match will be the Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships Saturday, Nov. 1 at Audubon Golf Course in Buffalo, NY.
“The middle of the season is about pushing hard and running through that. It’s now time to get rested,” Rybka said. “We will focus on sharpening and getting recovered for the next match.”
Emily Lowen is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].