University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
SPIDER ALUMNI OPEN
Men Second, Women Third At Spider Alumni Open
09/06/2013 | Cross Country
MECHANICSVILLE, Va. - Richmond cross country opened its season at home on Friday with the 12th annual running of the Spider Alumni Open at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville. The Spider men finished second in a six-team field, while the women took third.
"It was a great meet today,” commented head cross country coach Steve Taylor. “Having SpiderTV here added a whole new dynamic. The course was phenomenal as well and we couldn't be happier. As far as the team goes, on the men's side, I think we ran pretty solid. We had a 40-second split between our one and five, it was a lot tighter than that at the two and a half miles but we just didn't hold it together that well during the last half mile of the race. But all in all we have a pretty strong team.”
On the men's side, Duquesne finished first coming in with a total of 34 points. The Spiders followed in with 50 points, while William & Mary tallied 61 to finished third. VCU (80), George Mason (108) and Hampton (190) rounded out the bottom, respectively.
The Tribe women, who are ranked No. 13, finished first with 16 points in Friday's 2-Mile race, while the Dukes followed in second with 57 points. The Spiders just missed second place by six points, coming in third with 63. George Mason (122), Hampton (151) and VCU (166) rounded out the six-team pack, respectively.
Redshirt senior Jason Skipper was the top finisher for Richmond. The Pittsford, N.Y., native placed second out of the 63-man field with a time of 15:05.1. Sophomore Justin Keefe followed in seventh with a time of 15:16.4.
Sophomore Matt McKenna just missed the top 10 by .6 seconds, clocking in at the 15:25.0 mark to finish 11th. Sophomore Mathew Barudin (21st, 15:44.4), junior Paul Myer (23rd, 15:45.9) and freshman Andrew Brennan (43rd, 16:18.5) also scored for the Spiders.
Freshman Marisa Ruskan was the top finisher on the women's side for Richmond. Out of 80 participants, the Bound Brook, N.J., native took sixth place with a time of 10:38.1. Sophomore Tara Henley followed Ruskan in eighth place with a time of 10.41.0.
“Duquesne had a very strong team out there for the women today. You look at William & Mary, who are ranked No. 13 in the country, brought their A team and ran very well today. They had three girls beat the meet record which has been going on for 12 years so that says a lot about the competition here today. They didn't just run faster than the course record, they busted it by almost 16 seconds, which is a lot. I think our girls looked very well, but just didn't hold it together at the last 600 meters of the race and that will come a long in time. All in all I think it was a great way to start the season.”
13 other Spiders participated for the women, while Richmond welcomed back nine alumni back to the course.
The Spiders return to action Saturday, Sept. 21 as they travel to Williamsburg, Va., for the 2013 William & Mary Open. Start time is scheduled for 10 a.m.
Stay updated on all the latest Richmond Cross Country news on RichmondSpiders.com and by accessing Spider Athletics' mobile apps on your Smartphone or tablet. More in-depth coverage can be found by following Head Coach Steve Taylor on Twitter and by reading his blog. The Spiders also have their own Facebook page and have launched their own YouTube Channel as well.
Spider Alumni Open - Men's Team Results
1. Duquesne (34)
2. Richmond (50)
3. William & Mary (61)
4. VCU (80)
5. George Mason (108)
6. Hampton (190)
Spider Alumni Open - Women's Team Results
1. William & Mary (16)
2. Duquesne (57)
3. Richmond (63)
4. George Mason (122)
5. Hampton (151)
6. VCU (166)
Players Mentioned
