Billy Tyler

Contributing Writer

The men’s cross country team went into the Patriot League Championships in Hamilton, N.Y. with high expectations after a good week of training prior to the event. Unfortunately, the team was unable to perform up to its expectations, finishing fifth out of eight teams for a second consecutive season.

The Bison were led at the meet by John Dugan ’15 who finished the eight-kilometer course with a time of 25:39.4, placing him in third overall and first of the non-seniors in the field. It also earned Dugan First Team All-Patriot League honors. He earned the same last year with a 13th place finish at the league meet, making him the first member of the Orange and the Blue since 2007 to earn All-League honors in back-to-back seasons.

“[Dugan’s] third place finish is the highest since 2006 when Matt Forys ’07 finished third and qualified for nationals two weeks later,” head coach Kevin Donner said.

Dugan was not the only Bison contributing to the team’s effort on Oct. 27. Robert Yamnicky ’13 also provided a strong performance, finishing the race in 21st place with a time of 26:18.3. Yamnicky improved tremendously from his performance last year at league championships where he finished in 73rd place.

“Yamnicky ran very well at the PLC and has had some great training, and I know he will have a strong race at regionals as well,” Dugan said.

Other runners who scored for the Bison include: Charles Seigneur ’13 (34th place), Michael McGowan ’15 (35th) and Andrew Garcia-Garrison ’15 (37th). Some of the disappointment for the Bison was the result of injuries to several key members of the team.

“We had three major injuries to three key people two weeks ago and this really affected our front pack,” Donner said.

The Orange and the Blue will now attempt to put this event behind them as they prepare for their final race of the season, the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships on Nov. 9.

“We are certainly disappointed with the result,” Dugan said. “However, it is something that we are moving on from and we are looking towards the NCAA Regional Championships at Penn State in two weeks.”