Thomas Walter
Senior Writer
The Bison Open started and ended before any real competition could emerge for the Orange and Blue as Michael McGowan ’15 and John Dugan ’15 led the team to an easy win in the first meet of the year on home turf. The Bison finished the three-mile race with runners in the top nine positions.
McGowan finished in 14:42 and Dugan followed, finishing in 14:49.
“Last year I was injured so I didn’t live up to any of my expectations,” McGowan said. “My individual expectations are First Team All-Patriot League and then to compete for a spot at NCAA regional. The win this past weekend was an important way to start the season.”
McGowan knows that he will have to run against teammate Dugan before the season ends. Dugan, who finished second last weekend, competed for a spot at Nationals last season. He will be a good teammate for McGowan to compete with and measure himself against throughout the season.
As happy as McGowan was with his individual performance, he and the team realize it was an easy start to the season. The race was a mere 5k compared to the typical 8k or 10k runs that determine the success of season.
“When it comes to 8k and 10k you have to be used to running tired, but I think we need to learn how to run in packs better,” McGowan said. “Some of the guys who run shorter distances need to become more comfortable running the longer races in order for us to succeed.”
The Bison will travel to Penn State to run in the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational on Sept. 13.
