Crusaders Finish 3rd and 5th in USCAA National Race

Christendom Crusader's Cross Country hit the paths in Fayette, PA this past weekend participating in the USCAA Nationals run. Both teams ran hard and competed well to cap off a fun season of racing.

The women were off and running at 10am in their 6k race. There were 54 runners from six USCAA teams. The Crusaders finished middle of the pack in a respectable 3^rd place. Mary Noble (Junior/Charlottesville, VA) led the way for the Crusaders finishing 19^th overall with an impressive 27:32 time. Faustina Whittaker (Senior/White Post, VA) finished the race 22^nd with a 28:01 time. Elizabeth Kuss (Senior/San Diego, CA) ended in 27^th, Elizabeth Kolesar (Freshman/Cranberry, PA) finished 28^th and Moira Haggerty (Freshman/Manassas, VA) ended 44^th.  With the strong performance by Noble and consistency from the rest of the group the Crusaders were able to secure 3^rd place overall in the Nationals race.

After the women finished, it was the men's turn to compete. They took of at 11am for their 8k race. In the men's race there were 82 runners and 10 different USCAA teams represented. Like the women the men finished middle of the group in 5^th place. The team was led by Alex Girata (Sophomore/Windham, NH) as he finished 11^th overall with a time of 29:46. Thomas Cahill (Sophomore/Arlington, MA) was the next best racer for the Crusaders. Cahill finished 28^th with a 32:19 time. Ethan Hornsby (Freshman/Warrenton, VA) came in right behind Cahill at 29^th. Leo Barreto-Bajana (Freshman) and Joseph Olbrych (Junior) finished 62^nd and 66^th. With the solid team performance the Crusaders took 5^th place giving them a strong foundation for future seasons.