NEWARK, Delaware — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore cross country program laced up for one of the final meets of the regular season in the University of Delaware Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, October 15.
The men's team posted a third-place finish while the women's squad ranked sixth on the day.
As has often been the case this season, senior Nahom Ftwi grabbed the top spot for the men's team. After a career best 26:23.5 at the Don Cathcart Invitational to open the month, Ftwi turned in a time of 28:46.76, good for seventh overall.
"Even with the seventh place finish, I wish I did better," Ftwi said. "We had a decent performance today, it was a good learning curve to see where we need to get better for MEAC championships.
Senior Edwin Kipruto finished 12th overall at 29:21.39, shortly behind Ftwi in the rankings. Ftwi and Kipruto have consistently ranked as the top performers for the men's side.
In addition to the seniors, freshman David Martin and junior transfer Bryce Ayers finished a tenth of a second apart, placing 21st and 22nd with times of 31:03.82 and 31:03.92 respectively. Senior Fasil Amado rounded out the group with a time of 33:22.97, placing 42nd.
"Bryce, David and Fasil proved that they will be a real threat," Ftwi said. "And they're only getting better every day."
The women's team was headlined by graduate student Asshanni Robb and junior Laura Menendez. Robb, who has taken the top spot in all four races for the Hawks, nabbed a 14th overall finish in the women's 6k at 26:07.54, with Menendez finishing four places behind Robb at 26:42.44 in the race.
Freshmen Shenell Simms and sophomore Spencer Settle were next in line for the Hawks with times of 29:56.21 and 31:36.72, respectively. Senior Adekansola Adewami rounded out the group at 39:43.18.
This was the final race of the regular season for the women's side. The Hawk men's team will participate in the Last Chance Run at Lebanon Valley College next Friday (October 21) before both teams set their eyes on the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championships in Dover, Delaware on October 29.
Follow the action on Twitter via @ESHawksTFXC.
