Cross country prepares for the C.C. Championships

The men’s and women’s cross country teams have been preparing for the Centennial Conference (C.C.) Championships for the past two weeks, after their final regular season meet at DeSales University on Oct. 9. The C.C. Championship takes place on Saturday Oct. 29 at Haverford College, the reigning C.C. Championship on the men’s side and the runner-ups on the women’s side. Both Muhlenberg squads finished fifth in the C.C. Championship and are looking to place at the top after successful seasons.

For the men’s cross country team that has reached up to #10 in the Mideast Region rankings, it all starts with Jaryd Flank ‘17. This season Flank has added to his incredible career resume with the Mules. He has finished first in three of the four meets that Muhlenberg has competed in this season, adding a fourth place finish at the Paul Short Run, which features over 140 colleges from across the country. Flank has also won C.C. Championship runner of the week three times this season in a loaded conference field. Last year Flank finished third in the C.C. Championship, second in the Mideast Regionals, and qualified for the NCAA Championships. He is looking to finish the season among the top in the conference and region.

Other Mule runners to watch for in the men’s squad at the C.C. Championship are Corey Mullins ‘19, Anthony Calantoni ‘18, and Jason Richwall ‘20.

Mullins has had three top-five finishes this year, his best being a third place finish at the Moravian Invitational, a meet in which the Mules took first place, as well as recording his best time 25:41 at the Paul Short Run. Last year Mullins was the second best freshman finisher at the C.C. Championship, good enough for eighteenth overall and finished seventh among freshman runners at the Mideast Regionals.

Calantoni has built off his success from a successful outdoor track and field campaign last year. Cataloni’s best finish of the year was a fourth place finish at the Moravian Invitational and he ran his personal best time 26:22 at the Paul Short Run.

Richwall has had an excellent debut season, finishing ing 20th in his debut race at the Lehigh Invitational. He followed that performance with a top ten finish at the Moravian Invitational, and also set a personal best time 26:33 at the Paul Short Run. The women’s squad is led by Jamie Pacilio ‘18 who finished in the top five in all four of the meets the Mules have competed in, including first place finishes at the Paul Short Run and the DeSales Invitational. She also won C.C. Championship runner of the week once this season. Last year Pacilio finished seventh at the C.C. Championship and was named to All-Centennial Conference First Team and the All-Mideast Region Team. She was the first sophomore to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Muhlenberg women’s cross country history. Expect Pacilio to finish in the top once again in the C.C. Championship and the Mideast Region. Other Mule runners to watch are Kimberly McCarty ‘17, Emily Davidson ‘18, and Santina Zouras ‘20. McCarty ran the two best races of her career this year with a ninth place finish in the Moravian Invitational, a meet in which the Mules finished second, and set her personal best time 23:56 at the Paul Short Run, where the Mules finished sixth. She will make her second C.C. Championship appearance this year. Davidson collected her second top ten finish of her career finishing tenth at the Moravian Invitational and set her personal best time 23:44 at the Paul Short Run. She finished fifth for the Mules at the Mideast Regionals last year and looks to improve on that performance. Zouras made an impressive collegiate debut, finishing 20th at the Lehigh Invitational. She built off of that stellar performance with a fifth place finish at the Moravian Invitational, finished fourth among Division III freshmen at the Paul Short Run, and was the second best Mule runner at the DeSales Invitational. The Mules have their work cut out for them at the C.C. Championship. Flank and Pacilio should finish among the top in the conference as well as the Mideast Region and the NCAAs. Also watch for Mullins, Calantoni, and Richwall to have success at the C.C. Championship and the Mideast Regionals for the men’s squad, and watch for McCarty, Davidson, and Zouras to have success at the C.C. Championship and Mideast Regionals for the women’s squad.