Brown University
Rothenberg Run
Women's Cross Country Claims First at Rothenberg Run
10/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
WARWICK, R.I. – Sophomore Lucy Van Kleunen (Philadelphia, Pa.) took first overall and three other Bears posted top-five finishes as the Brown women's cross country team ran to a first-place finish at the Rothenberg Run Friday afternoon at Goddard State Park. Brown hosted three other teams including Dartmouth, Vermont and Bryant.
Brown finished first with 16 points as eight runners placed inside the top 10, while Vermont took second with 55 points, followed by Dartmouth (79) and Bryant (97).
"We took another step towards championship season, refining the packing tactics that our seasoned racers have been executing since Day 1, and displaying a better grasp of that team mentality from our younger set," said head coach Mitchell Baker. "There was a very high percentage of strong races and our recent history reflects that: we recorded 11 of the top 25 times run by Brown athletes on our home course since 2010, including the #1, 3, 5 and 8 times. Closing the door for our scoring today, co-captain Abbey Jones' race and continued upswing indicates good things for her and her training partners."
Van Kleunen paced the Bears for the second time this season as she completed the 5-kilometer run in a time of 17:08.27. Senior Leah Eickhoff (Hanover, N.H.) was second overall in a time of 17:24.02, while juniors Lydia Davenport (New York, N.Y.) and Lily Harrington (West Hartford, Conn.) followed in third and fourth, respectively, in times of 17:27.96 and 17:38.50.
Senior Abigail Jones (Barrington, R.I.) turned-in a sixth-place finish as she crossed the finish line in a time of 17:43.58. In addition, rookie Megan Ratcliffe placed eighth at 17:56.84 and junior Victoria O'Neil (Boise, Idaho) was ninth in a time of 18:03.41.
"We have been having fun and working at a consistently higher level since the women arrived in late August," said Baker. "Meet-to-meet, the team has shown a significantly deeper level of performance and tighter packs than in my first three years coaching, respectively; the patience of the women has been outstanding, and we look to continue making good on that past work from both our current runners and the alumni from previous years."
Brown returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 1 for the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships on the campus of Princeton University.
