Canes XC Shines at Mountain to Sea Duals
BOONE, N.C. – The University of Miami cross country team had a strong showing at the 2016 Mountain to Sea Duals hosted by Appalachian State.
The Hurricanes had 13 runners, seven men and six women, in action in a meet that featured Miami, UNC Wilmington, Western Carolina and the host, Appalachian State. The women competed first, running their 5000m at 5:30 p.m. ET, while the men’s 6400m began at 6 p.m. ET.
“It was a fantastic environment for racing this afternoon,” Miami distance coach Damon Griffiths said. “The course was tough, but the weather conditions were great.”
Sean Grossman led the Hurricane men in the 6400m, finishing second with a time of 20:40.45. Jon Keller crossed the finish like just a little later, finishing seventh with a time of 20:48.12 to give Miami two top 10 finishers.
“The first mile went out slow for the lead pack,” Griffiths said. “That caused the rest of the race to be behind goal paces, but Sean and Jon continue to race great. Sean closed strong the last 600m and kicked to a runner-up finish.”
Sean Hagert was the third Cane to finish the men’s 6400m, placing 18th with a time of 21:35.11. Michael Miano, Nick Kaleel, Luke Dublirer and Adam George rounded out the Hurricanes team that placed third overall with 64 points after a tie was split with Western Carolina.
“The men ran a strong today,” Griffiths said. “We rarely have a tie, but that is a part of the sport. We had a better spread between our third and sixth runners. If that continues to improve we will be ok later in the season.”
On the women’s side, Gabrielle Hesslau was once again the top Hurricane on the course, finishing third with a time of 18:23.51. Ann Den Otter placed 16th with a time of 19:26.25, while Carla Rodrigiuez was 20th with a time of 19:49.24 to give Miami’s women three top 20 finishers
Mulloy Manning, and Megan Brown completed the quintet of Hurricanes that scored 75 points to finish third overall.
“Gabby ran tough against a strong competitor today,” Griffiths said. “Anne, Carla and Mulloy ran better races today. We are improving each meet, but we have to better with our fifth and sixth runners. We will have some help coming soon, so that is a good thing.”
Following this weekend’s races in Boone, N.C., the Canes will close out the month of September in Gainesville, Fla., racing in the Mountain Dew Invitational on Sept. 24.
Miami will also run in the USF Invitational (Oct. 14) and the Miami Duals (Oct. 20), their final two races before the 2016 ACC Cross Country Championships in Cary, N.C., on Oct. 28. The Miami Duals will be Miami’s first home cross country event since hosting the Miami Greentree Invitational in 2012.
NCAA Regional Championships are slated for Nov. 11 in Tallahassee, Fla., with the NCAA Championships taking place on Nov. 19 in South Bend, Ind.
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