WATERFORD, Conn. — 

The United States Coast Guard Academy cross country program took on inter-regional action on Saturday, racing in the Connecticut College Invitational in Waterford, Connecticut. The women's team finished 13th in a field of 28 teams, while the men were 22nd in a field of 26, with both competing against several regionally and nationally ranked programs.

Opening the day were the white races, reserved for nationally and regionally unranked programs and runners outside of a ranked team's top ten. The women's white race saw the Bears take 19th out of 33 teams on a soft and muddy course due to the morning's rain. Kate Stebbins (Chapin, S.C.) led the way in 30th place, running 23:18.9 for a massive personal record by almost a minute-and-a-half.

The men were 17th in their 33-team white race, with freshman Evan Moll (St. Louis, Mo.) as the top runner in 88th place at 26:46.9 for a personal best. Coast Guard's top seven runners in the white race all posted personal records on an 8k course with their performances, including senior Christian Gottlieb (Harpers Ferry, W.Va.) dropping 50 seconds from his top time and sophomore Aaron Letner (Rapid City, S.D.) cutting off 40 seconds. Senior runner Drew Torrell (South Kingstown, R.I.) also PR'd in his final Conn College Invite appearance.

The blue championship race saw the women's team pick up a head-to-head win over #17 Washington & Lee University. "While we were aiming for a little bit more at this meet, both squads had quality showings at the Conn College Invite," says Coast Guard head cross country coach Greg Ahnrud. "We were up against some of the top programs in the country and held our own, beating the teams we should have but falling just short of a few that could have propelled us to the next level regionally and nationally."

Sophomore harrier Kevyn Fish (Allison Park, Pa.) crossed the line in 21:32.8, an eight-second PR, to finish 19th overall and as the top runner from the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC). Fellow sophomore Amanda Delevan (Boiling Springs, Pa.) was the fourth Bear to finish, crossing in 22:46.4 to move into Coast Guard's all-time top 20, while classmate Meredith Isley (Valparaiso, Ind.) was just a couple of seconds away from making the list with her PB of 22:56.0.

"Amanda and Meredith stepped up really well today on the ladies' side, while Kate ran a breakthrough performance in the white race," Ahnrud remarks.

The men's race featured senior captain Brendan Fant (East Lyme, Conn.) as the top runner for Coast Guard, posting a 24:57.2 for 50th overall. Freshmen duo Jake Hanson (Lexington, Ky.) and Cornelius Cummings(Annville Township, Pa.) were Coast Guard's #2 and #3, with Hansen posting a ten-second PR of 25:53.0 to enter the all-time top 20 while Cummings dropped 45 seconds from his previous best to for a 26:17.8 pace.

"Kevyn and Brendan continue to lead the way and are tracking well towards competing on the national stage," says Ahnrud, "and I was really impressed with how our first-year men ran, with Jake and Cornelius notching big PRs at the heart of our scoring five."

The Coast Guard cross country program now sets their sights on the postseason, which kicks off on October 31st at the NEWMAC Championships. Smith College will host this season's league championship meet, which saw the men place fourth and the women take the runners-up seats to MIT.