LINDSeY NADOLSKI OF ITHACA, DAN BALLARD OF HOUGHTON CLAIM INDIVIDUAL TITLES
Ithaca Women and Houghton Men Capture Invitational Team Championships

Senior Lindsey Nadolski of Ithaca College, and junior Dan Ballard of Houghton College captured the women's and men's individual titles, respectively, and also led their teams to the championship of the 2008 Oswego State Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, September 13 on the Hidden Fields course on the campus of SUNY Oswego.

A total of 14 men's and women's teams endured overcast and mid-morning humidity to go with temperatures in the high 60's and lower 70's.

WOMEN'S RECAP

Nadolski registered her third straight top ten individual finish in this meet, topping a field of 153 runners in the Pat Peterson 4.5-klilometer race in a time of 17:00, averaging a 6:05-mile pace. Nadolski placed fourth in last year's 5,000-meter race, and was seventh in 2006.

The Bombers, the top-ranked team in New York State and ranked 13th among NCAA Division III teams by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), placed two runners in the top five, and had an additional three finish among the top 20 to edge out rival SUNY Cortland, ranked 24th nationally in Division III, for the team title, 46-59.  Ithaca freshman Heidi Baumbach finished fourth in a time of 17:31.

Freshman Alyson Dalton was one of two runners to place in the top ten for the runner-up Red Dragons, which also had all of their scoring runners among the top 20 finishers.  Alyson finishing third in a time of 17:22, while senior Erin McGrath placed 10th in 17:51.

Junior Kaitlin Fadden was the top finisher for Houghton College, who finished third with 111 points. Fadden placed second in a time of 17:19, a ten-place improvement from a year ago. Freshman Danielle Brenon finished ninth for the Highlanders in a time of 17:39.

RIT, who received a seventh place finish from sophomore Arielle Januszkiewicz (17:34), placed fourth, whie Roberts Wesleyan College rounded out the top five women's teams with 124 points, led by freshman Michelle Brandt (17:35)

The host Lakers finished in sixth place with 160 points, with junior Rose Foran registering the team's top finish at 31st place in a time of 19:08, and freshman Crystal Whiteside four places behind at 35th place in a time of 19:18.

MEN'S RECAP

In the men's Don Masterson 6,000-meter race, Ballard, the runner-up a year ago, was unchallenged in capturing the men's individual title, averaging a 5:12 mile pace in topping a 163-competitor field in a time of 19:21, a full 14 seconds ahead of the runner-up.  The Highlanders had three runners among the top ten and another two finishing among the top 14 to claim the team championship with 43 points, edging RIT by three points (46).  Freshman Stephen Hine placed sixth for Houghton in 19:53 and Chad Stauring finished ninth in a time of 20:09.

Freshman Mike Kurvach and sophomore Zach Miller finished fourth (19:49) and fifth (19:50), respectively, and senior Mike Brindak placed eighth (19:59) for the runner-up Tigers, who had all of their scoring runners finish among the top 20.

SUNY Cortland, the top ranked team in NCAA Division III this season, brought its "B" team and finished third with 82 points.  Juniors Travis DeRusso and Eric Stermer placed second (19:45) and third (19:46), respectively, for the Red Dragons.  Ithaca College, paced by a 10th place finish from freshman Daniel Craighead (20:13), placed fourth with 115 points, while Clarkson University (146) rounded out the top five.

Host Oswego State finished tenth with 271 points, with rookie Ben Thuman leading the Laker contingent with a 37th place showing in 21:11.  Senior Joe Merrihew finished 63rd in a time of 21:52.