XC has solid showing at CMU Invitational
The Penn State Fayette Cross Country team stepped up in competition Saturday as it took part in the Carnegie Mellon Invitational. While most of the competition was from Division I schools, Fayette did well, all things considered, and head coach Joe Carei spoke about the day, focusing first on the Women's team.
"The women did better than expected and had four of the top 52 places (that) constituted a good day," he said. "Nicole (Walker) ran a great race and finished in the top 15 and we learned about ourselves today."
The Women finished eighth overall in the 5k with Walker (West Mifflin, PA/West Mifflin HS) looking best after coming in 14th in a time of 20:24.4. Josie Pindro (Hopwood, PA/Geibel Catholic) finished 31st in 21:21.5, Kelsey Wilkins was 33rd in 21:27.1, Chloe Kalp (Melcroft, PA/Connellsville HS) finished 56th in a time of 22:27.4 and Haley Miller (Masontown, PA/Albert Gallatin HS) was 97th with a time of 26:19.3.
"The men did as expected and saw a few personal best records," Carei said. "Mitch (Minda) had an ankle injury, so Joe (O'Connell) took over and led the team. This was a learning race and with no pressure to win, it allowed the guys to try new racing strategies."
The Men finished ninth overall in the 8k with O'Connell (West Mifflin, PA/West Mifflin HS) looking best for Fayette as he finished 52nd with a time of 29:27.2. Minda (Elizabeth, PA/Elizabeth Forward HS) finished 69th with a time of 30:45.3, Drew Erdman (Greensburg, PA/Greensburg Salem HS) was 80th with a time of 31:47.0, Ethan Mates (Mt. Pleasant, PA/Mt. Pleasant HS) finished 89th with a time of 33:58, Logan Miller (Uniontown, PA/Laurel Highlands HS) came in 93rd in a time of 34:52.9 and Jacob Noel was 98th with a time of 38:10.6.
For more on the cross-country team, go to https://www.psfathletics.com/sports/xc/index or follow us on Instagram @fayetteathletics.