The AU cross country team split up this weekend, with half of the men's team traveling to Eugene, Ore., to compete in the Bill Dellinger Invitational on Friday, while the rest of the team ran at the George Mason Invitational in Manassas, Va.
Senior Conor Lanz led the AU contingent to a 12th place finish in the 8K event in Oregon. Lanz finished with a time of 24:20.91, good for 44th overall in a field that included runners from some of the top programs in the nation.
Senior Dan Beardslee was the next fastest AU runner, finishing 63rd overall in the field of 117. Awit Yohannes (67th), Steve Hallinan (89th), Rob Hoffman (95th), Brendan Fennell (103rd) and junior Brian McCabe (106th) rounded out the field for the Eagles, who are ranked 29th in the nation.
Carlos Jamieson's personal best in the 8K helped lead the other half of the AU men to a sixth place finish in Virginia. Jamieson's time of 25:29 put him in 14th place overall. Dustin Ermani also finished in the top 25 overall, coming in 24th place with a time of 25:35. The top five AU finishers amassed 140 points.
The AU women had a more successful day at the George Mason Invite, finishing in third overall. Cathleen Ford and Meghan Mason finished under three seconds apart to finish in 12th and 13th, respectively. Kate Lilley (20th), Greta Wicklund (27th), and Mercedes Ball (29th) also contributed to the team's score of 95 points, which trailed just Richmond and Charlotte.
The Eagles have two weeks off, but will race again at the University of Delaware on Oct. 14.
