COURTESY OF MICHAEL KEATING Michael Keating ’99 was first among Wesleyan runners at the Trinity Invitational this past weekend, finishing second overall.

Men's Cross-Country Beats Bantams: Makes it 44 in a Row By Brian LaCarrubba Consulting Sports The men’s cross-country team defeated Trinity for the 44th straight time on Saturday, edging out the Bantams by four points. The Cards also topped Conn College by 19 points. The women, however, were not as successful, falling to Trinity but managing to defeat the Camels. "[The men’s team] went in with the approach of continuing our winning streak," said J.R. Gaige, coach of the men’s and women’s teams. "We have beaten Trinity for the last 40 years. We ran conservatively. We were behind early but picked it up and managed to win." The men were led by seniors Mike Keating and Greg Pederson, who placed second and third respectively. Dan Lazarek ’02 turned in an excellent performance in his first college race, coming in less than a minute and a half behind the leader and finishing seventh. Gaige was extremely pleased with Lazarek’s performance.

"We had a nice surprise, one of our frosh stepped up and ran a good race," he said. "It was a nice race for him and it made me feel comfortable."

Wesleyan also got a strong performance from Raul Lavarreda-Perez ’00, who placed ninth, 17 seconds behind Lazarek. Despite the encouraging races run by some team members, there were still clear signs of a team beginning a new season.

"A couple of our better runners didn’t run too well," Keating said, "but we still managed to win."

Gaige had an explanation for the slow start of some of the runners.

"Many of our big contributors were away last spring," he said. "It was difficult for them, since you don’t come back to it overnight."

The women’s side experienced some of the same difficulties, as only two runners managed to crack the top 10. Maureen McMurray ’01 ran a strong race, placing fourth overall behind three runners from Trinity. Ava Gordinier ’99 was the next finisher for the Cardinals, as she took ninth. The Cardinals faced an especially tough challenge against Trinity, a nationally ranked team.

"Trinity is very good, they are something like 21st or 22nd in the country," Gaige said, "Conn College had a good recruiting year. We hope to be able to beat [Trinity] by the end of the year."

It was also a difficult day to begin a season, as the weather was hot and the course challenging. According to Gaige, the Wickham Park course was hilly with a lot of turns, making it difficult for runners to put up their best times.

The Cardinals were not just looking for each individual to get their best possible times. This year, the team is focusing more on working together for good team results than on having each runner out there for themselves.

"We are trying to develop a team oriented strategy in what is usually an individual sport," Keating said. "The better teams make an effort to coordinate their runners in order to boost group morale. The bulk of the team finishes together, which is critical to winning races."

The Cardinals will bring this team attitude to the UMass Dartmouth Invitational next Saturday to face Hamilton and RPI. The meet should give the team a better idea of where they are in relation to the other teams in New England.

"We want another NESCAC win against Hamilton," Gaige said. "RPI is tough, especially on the men’s side. We are anxious to see where we stand."