The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's & Women's Cross Country teams began the 2018 season at the National Catholic Invitational in South Bend, Indiana. The race, which was hosted by the University of Notre Dame, consisted of a strong field of Division I, II and III teams. The race was held on Burke Golf Course which is located on the campus.
The men's team was led by sophomore Nick Martello. Martello finished the 5 Mile course in 27:36. Junior Aiden Russell was the next to cross the line in 28:03 with sophomore Matthew Tina coming in just thirty seconds later in 28:33. Junior Kyle Kondracki ran a strong race finishing in 28:36. Junior James Dowd was the final scorer in the Championship race with a time of 29:04. In the Open Raceace, freshman Jack Terry-Kantor was the first Spartan to cross the line (31:13). The Men's team finished 10th in the DII/DII standings. A total of 29 teams competed in the races.
On the women's side, sophomore Abigaile Kimbrell was the first finisher with a personal best time of 20:00. Junior Aida Torpey was the second scorer for the team clocking a time of 21:27. Classmate Rebecca MacLeod was right on her heels getting in at 21:35. Redshirt junior Laura Herber made her Spartan debut finishing in 22:00, while rookie Gabriella Mott was the final scorer in 22:21. In the Open Race, Shannon Thompson led the way in 21:51.The women's team finished 12th in the DII/DIII standings. A total of 26 teams competed in the races.
The Spartans return to action next Saturday at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational hosted by Roberts Wesleyan College.