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Metro makes strong run in Wyo.
By Jeremy Johnson
jjohn308@mscd.edu

Led by sophomore Todd Tolentino’s 10th-place run, the Roadrunners men’s cross country team put forth a strong effort for a fourth-place finish at the Wyoming Invitational Sept. 1 in Laramie.

Tolentino’s time of 22:36 on the 4.25-mile course paced the ’Runners, with Eiger Erickson (20th place, 23:11), Brice Young (28th place, 23:25) and Anthony Luca (29th place, 23:26) rounding out Metro’s top-30 finishers.

“Todd being a sophomore and finishing in the top 10 in a Division-I-heavy invitational was a good start,” said Peter Julian, head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country team. “With a mile to go he was in it to win it.”

Air Force won the men’s race with 20 points, the hometown Wyoming team finished second with 30 points and Colorado State edged out the Roadrunners with 81 points for third place. Julian was pleased with the win over UC-Colorado Springs, who finished the race in fifth place with 112 points.

“We had to go up against perennial powers that are as good as any in the country,” Julian said. “We had to throw ourselves to the wolves in order to get ready for the season.”

Metro’s women’s team struggled to a last-place finish, but showed signs of promise with a strong core in the top 30 runners.

Desarae Gleason led the Roadrunners with a 27th place finish and a time of 16:36. Mandi Hepworth (29th place, 16:44) and Veronica Albo (30th place, 16:48) rounded out Metro’s early-season effort.

Colorado State University took the event with 47 points, while the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (50 points) and the University of Wyoming (58 points) rounded out the top three finishers.

“There wasn’t a lot of aggression from the girls, but that’s to be expected this early in the season,” Julian said. “They’ll be ready when it matters.”

Julian said that the earlier meets often mean little more than practice. “Everybody competes in the conference championships and in the national regionals, so we don’t have to win our way into it,” Julian said.