The St. Thomas Aquinas Cross Country team competed at the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University on Saturday. Despite uncharacteristic October heat, senior Michael Galonski finished 9th in the white race in 26:43. The women did not get to compete as the Lehigh and Northhampton Counties' Emergency Services cancelled the remainder of the day.
Galonski positioned himself in the front pack early in the race, setting himself up for another top ten finish. Junior Joe Chegwidden finished next for STAC in 28:14. Freshman Ryan Gasser continued to prove himself a key contributor for the Spartans crossing the line next in 29:10. Senior Matt Buell and freshman Stephen McNiff were the final scorers for STAC finishing in 29:42 and 30:25 respectively.
The Lady Spartans were lining up at the start when the race directors announced the cancellation of the remaining races for the day. The women's college white race was the only collegiate race that did not go off along with the full high school schedule.
The Spartan cross country team will return to action on Saturday, October 12th at the Blue & Gold Invitational hosted by the University of Delaware. This will be the first time STAC competes at this race.