The Lasers traveled to Gordon College this weekend to compete in the 38th Annual Pop Crowell Invitational. The men ran an 8K course on the Gordon Campus, finishing in 17th in the 24 team competition.
Out of the 232 men that ran the race on Friday, Christopher Johnson (Gloucester, MA) was the first Laser to cross the finish line once again. Johnson ran a 29:33, taking 38 seconds off his previous finishing time at Rivier College. This was this season's best time for Johnson, who came in 73rd overall at the Pop Crowell Invitational.
Zach Lambert (Marlborough, MA) dropped 1 minute and 14 seconds off his previous time from Rivier, finishing the race 90th, at 30:10. This was a personal best for Lambert, running 6:02 miles.
Kris McCabe (Kingston, NY) and David Walsh (Springfield, MA) finished next for Lasell with times of 31:30 and 32:03, both of whom were successfully returning from injuries. While Grant Vantine (Fitchburg, MA) and Jason Allen (Framingham, MA) finished the scoring for the Lasers, finishing at 33:49 and 36:12 respectively. Allen's time was his personal best.
The women's cross country team also had impressive performances from their nine competitors, finishing 15th out of 25 teams.
There were 276 runners on the women's side for the Pop Crowell Invitational. Lasell's top two finishers were Kayla McKenna (Warwick, RI) and Meghan Missett (Lowell, MA). The tandem finished with their best times of the 2008 season, McKenna was the top finisher, with a time of 21:27, while Missett ran a 21:40. Missett's run was not only a season best, but also a personal best during her time as a Laser, running 6:59 miles. McKenna finished 67th overall, and Misett completed in the 76th spot.
Following close behind, Amanda Driscoll (Roslindale, MA) and Ariella Harrington (Woburn, MA) finished in 115th and 118th place.
Seniors Lauren Darrah (Beverly, MA) and Danielle Chiarella (Westborough, MA) each also finished with a personal best at Lasell. Chiarella ran a 23:24 and finished in 154th place, while Darrah finished at 23:33, in 157th place.
Freshman Christina Lombardi (Marlborough, MA), sophomore Meagan McCole (W. Bridgewater, MA), and junior Stephanie Hauck (Westwood, MA) all ran season bests at Gordon. Lombardi ran a 23:08 (143rd), McCole completed in 25:14 (200th), and Hauck ended at 24:28 (182nd).
The Lasers will compete again on Saturday, October 11th at the St. Joseph's (ME) Invitational, in Standish, ME.