'Runners race RMAC
Men finish eighth, women take ninth
By Heather Embrey
hembrey@mscd.edu
The Metro cross country team raced in its first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship in over 20 years last Saturday. The Roadrunner men earned a seventh place finish and the women came in ninth.
"To be competitive in the RMAC, in our first season in over two decades, is pretty special to both teams," head coach Peter Julian said. "Finishing seventh and ninth, men and women respectively, isn't exactly something to shout to High Heaven about, but we can build upon it and never look back."
Photo by Matthew Jonas jonasm@mscd.edu
Metro cross country runner Meagan Martinez sprints to the finish at Chatfield Reservoir during the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships Oct. 22. Martinez finished 24th overall in the 6k race with a time of 26:22. The Metro women's cross country team took ninth overall at the championship.
The men's race began at 9 a.m., and the first runner finished at approximately 9:20 a.m. Mario Macias of Adams State College won, and all the runners from Adams state finished in the top 10.
As a team, the Roadrunner men scored 196 points.
"We did beat some established RMAC opponents, but the real goal is to compete for the conference title in the future," Julian said. "Adams State and Western State have totally controlled this league for a long, long time. Our eyes are on those teams."
The first two runners to finish for Metro were Todd Tolentino, 19 and Brice Young, 20.
Tolentino finished at 29:56, and Young was right behind at 29:57.
"Teamwork plays a huge role in the individual aspect of cross country, because without a team you have no individuals," Tolentino said. "Being a part of a team is comforting, and knowing we are just going to get better is even more welcoming."
Metro's women's team tallied 244 points and was a mere three points behind New Mexico Highlands University.
Emily Mortensen of Adams State was first in the women's race, and the Grizzlies took first.
The first two runners for the women were Meagan Martinez, 19, and Lisa Aquino, 18. Martinez was at 26:22 and Aquino was at 28:22.
Both women commented on the race itself, saying it was harder the first mile because it was all uphill. Then it leveled out and they gained speed.
"The course was fun," freshman Martinez said. "It was tough the first mile because there were a lot of hills and the rest of the course was pretty flat. The second and third mile it felt like it was long."
The Roadrunners' next race is the NCAA North Central Regional on Saturday, Nov. 5 in Hays, Kan.
"Certainly everyone on the team pushed one another in workouts and races; but off the course is where we push one another the most," Tolentino said. "In the classroom and everywhere else you can be pushed."