Light Blue men, women take first in Bronx meet

Friday saw dual victories for the men’s and women’s cross country teams at the Metropolitan Championships in the Bronx. Both squads defended their titles in dominant fashion against 13 opponents from the Tri-State Region.

Sophomore Andy Buchanan led the men, placing second individually in a breakthrough race. Freshmen Blake Cowan and Mark Feigen made their presences felt with strong performances to take sixth and 10th place, respectively. Senior Willi Ballenthin and sophomore Kyle Cooke came through together in 13th and 14th to round out Columbia’s scoring five. A final of 45 points yielded a comfortable lead over runner-up Rutgers (63) and third-place New York University (70).

The women cruised to an easy victory, placing their entire scoring five, plus an additional two, within the top 10 for 21 points. Junior Jackie Drouin made a dazzling return to competition, earning the women’s individual crown, while fellow junior Hannah Kligman’s seventh-place finish indicated considerable progress over the past year.

There was also an abundance of outstanding performances among this year’s freshmen. Caroline McDonough, Erica Pearson, and Clare Buck took third, fourth and sixth, with one NYU runner in between, while Trish Reilly and Camille Murphy finished in positions eight and nine. Head coach Willy Wood was pleased, stating that the freshmen women “are quickly evolving from a class with great potential to a very good class.”

Both titles come as second victories in the Lions’ nascent season and bode well for the challenges they have yet to face. So far, everything is on track. “It is obvious that we are making significant gains in our fitness,” Wood said. The Lions will continue to train hard through October while enhancing their racing prowess for the Heptagonal Conference and Northeast Regional meets.

Next up, split groups head to Princeton, N.J. to face league rival Princeton and Terre Haute, Ind. to take on the nation’s best at the annual Pre-Nationals meet on Oct. 17.