Cross country competes in N.J. and Indiana

It was a busy weekend for the men and women of Columbia’s cross country team, who laced up the spikes for either the Princeton Invitational in Princeton, N.J. or NCAA Pre-National Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. The men who traveled to Terre Haute finished a solid 12th of 35 teams. Junior Brendan Martin and sophomores Kyle Merber and Justin Heck contributed with strong performances to lead the way. Junior Terrence Prial put in a good run of his own to win the men’s open race. The women finished 22nd out of 37, with top runs from junior Julie Quinn and senior Christina Henderson. Those competing at Princeton took fourth and first against Columbia’s two opponents. Sophomore Andy Buchanan was the first Lion to cross the finish line for the men, followed by freshmen Ben Veilleux and Mike Murphy. The freshmen on the women’s team ran very well, with Clare Buck and Emily Lanois leading the charge. Juniors Hannah Kligman and Samantha Lee and freshman Camille Murphy each placed within the top 10 to round out Columbia’s scoring five. Both meets provided essential race experience for the Lions as they prepare for the Heptagonal Conference meet to be held Oct. 30 at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.