UTICA, N.Y.—For the second-straight year, the Hobart cross country team raced to a first-place finish at the SUNY Poly Wildcat Classic. This afternoon, the Statesmen produced five top 10 finishers to secure their first win of the season.
Junior Duncan Kipkoech led Hobart at the 8-kilometer race, finishing third in the 55-racer field after crossing the finish line at 27:17. Sophomore Malachi Quinn followed closely behind, securing fourth with a time of 27:49. Junior Philip Dilgard-Clark rounded out the Statesmen top three as he raced to a fifth-place finish with a time of 28:15.
Junior William Green also had an impressive day for Hobart, racing to a ninth-place finish after stopping the clock at 30:09. First-year Kai Wilson raced to a season-best 10th place finish, crossing the finish line at 3-:17. Junior Evan Shannon followed closely behind in 11th with a time of 30:41, while first-year Andrew Istvan ran to an 18th place finish with a time of 31:53.
Hudson Valley's Leo Christopher was the individual medalist after stopping the clock at 26:43.7. HVCC's Alan Arnold finished closely behind in second with a time of 27:04.6. Hudson Valley finished second in the team standings, while Hartwick rounded out the top three.
HOBART TOP TIMES
- Duncan Kipkoech, 27:17, 3rd
- Malachi Quinn, 27:49, 4th
- Philip Dilgard-Clark, 28:15, 5th
- William Green, 30:09, 9th
- Kai Wilson, 30:17, 10th
- Evan Shannon, 30:41, 11th
- Andrew Istvan, 31:53, 18th
COACHES CORNER
"I am really proud of this group and the way they competed today," said Head Coach Tyler Wilkie. Both teams showed a lot of confidence and toughness and we got better as a team. It's exciting to see the progress we are making but we know there is still more work to be done. Today was a step in the right direction and puts us in a great position to keep building toward a fast race at Houghton in two weeks. The men had some guys step up today which helped us come away with the win. Kai and Malachi improved from their times last week which made a big difference for us."
UP NEXT
The Statesmen will be back in action Oct. 11, when it heads to Houghton, New York, for the Highlander Invitational.
