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| Senior Geoffrey Carney-Knisely was part of Wooster's strong showing in the men's 5K on Friday night. |
WOOSTER, Ohio - The College of Wooster cross country teams combined for six top-five finishes as the Fighting Scots kicked off the 2017 slate at the Wooster Invitational on Friday evening at L.C. Boles Golf & FootGolf Course on the College's campus.
The non-scoring annual meet featured three different events – the women's 4K, men's 5K, and men's four-mile – with participants from Baldwin Wallace University, Notre Dame College, and Oberlin College joining Wooster on the course.
Fast forwarding to the final race of the evening, Wooster junior Brian Lief overtook classmate David Westcott down the stretch as the duo placed fourth and fifth respectively with times of 21:46.0 and 21:49.9. Jackson Feinknopf, a third junior, gave the Scots a trio of finishers in the top 10 with the eighth-place clip of 22:07.1 among the 38 competitors.
In the men's 5K, Wooster featured a solid mix of youth and experience as the Scots occupied places two through seven in the final standings. First-year Matt Klonowski turned in a memorable collegiate debut, as he navigated the hilly terrain in 18:27.7. Senior Geoffrey Carney-Knisely wasn't far behind with a time of 18:30.1, and that was backed up by an 18:31.8 by first-year Aidan Enright.
Sticking with the close pack, sophomore Aedan Pettit (18:33.9), first-year Matt Olszewski (18:33.9), and senior William Koenig (18:34.2) finished fifth, sixth, and seventh in the 20-competitor race.
Senior Mackenzie Kellar led the way for Wooster's women's team with a 15:56.1, good for a 10th-place finish. Notable, Kellar's time was nearly :20 better than her winning time in the same race last year, but this year's meet featured a combined women's 4K instead of the traditional 4K and 5K race options.
First-year Zoe Covey was the Scots' second finisher on the night. Covey navigated her first collegiate race in a 16:19.0, good for a spot in the top-20. Senior Ashley Ferguson backed that up as the third Scot to cross with her 16:35.1 ranking 23rd in the field.
First-year Emma Busch (16:49.0) and sophomore Cobi Warstler (17:00.4) both finished in the top 30, while first-year Reaghan Beaver (17:41.3) and sophomore Audrey Cordova (17:50.3) rounded out the Scots' top seven.
Wooster returns to action at the Otterbein University Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 16.