The St. Thomas Aquinas College cross country teams competed at the 38th Annual Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University. Juniors Michael Galonski and Keeley Bateman, the consistent leaders of the teams, continued to build upon the strength of their seasons finishing first for their squads.
Bateman clocked a time of 23:59 and was closely followed by freshman standout Meagan Jaskot. Jaskot's time of 24:21 showed that the rookie is ready to move into championship season. Freshmen Rebecca Fortould and Gabriela Sloezan were the next two Lady Spartans to finish in 25:22 and 25:44 respectively. Sophomore Katelyn Garvey rounded out the scorers for STAC coming in at 25:56. This time is almost two minutes faster than her 2011 finish. The majority of the women's team competed in a 6K race for the first time in their careers. The next time they will face the longer distance will be at the NCAA East Regional race in early November.
For the men, Galonski set the pace finishing in 26:31. Sophomore Joseph Chegwidden finished next with a time of 27:44. Freshmen Alex Castellano and Joseph Capolino worked together throughout the race coming across the line in 28:40 and 28:50. Junior Matthew Buell stepped in as a scorer this week. He covered the 8K course in 29:23.
The Spartans will return to action on Sunday at the NJIT Highlander Invitational at Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ.