Dukes impress in Pennsylvania’s largest XC meet

Two female cross-country runners competing in a race with spectators cheering in the background. One runner wearing a red jersey with number 420 is slightly ahead of another in a red and blue jersey numbered 445. — [Courtesy of Duquesne Athletics] Freshman Sylvia Kashak has become a breakout for the Dukes, consistently finishing in their top five.

Ben Deihl | sports editor

Both Duquesne cross-country teams placed in the top 100 at one of the largest events in America, with the men’s team placing 64th of 158 colleges, while the women’s team placed 77th from the same field at Goodman Campus Cross Country Course at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.

The event saw 158 schools attend, with over 1,300 runners competing for the top spot. For Duquesne, it was quite the different landscape than what each team is used to with smaller regional invitationals.

“It was a good change of pace from the meets we’ve had so far,” sophomore Ben Shields said. “It gives us a good chance to see some competition we normally wouldn’t see.”

The women’s team has seen recent success to start their season, finishing first overall at Saint Francis. All of Duquesne’s scoring runners were in the top 10, with senior Gina Bolla taking first in the invitational. Bolla finished 6.2 seconds ahead of second place, giving Duquesne an easy path to first overall.

Freshman Sylvia Kashak finished 77th in compiled rankings in the women’s college brown 6K at Lehigh after a rough start. She ranked 209th after the first mile of the contest, but made up ground through the second, tapping in at 175th. Kashak went on a tear in the back half, finishing with a time of 22:30.3 and earning her 77th compiled rank, jumping 98 places from her starting position.

The freshman tandem have become a breakout for the Dukes, as the pair were the first two across the tape in the RMU Colonial Invitational, and Kashak was the first Duke to finish at Lehigh. The two also placed seventh and ninth at Saint Francis to start their collegiate careers.

With the invitational being one of the largest meets Duquesne will compete in this season, it’s important for both teams to get comfortable with different levels of competition to prepare for more influential meets in the future.

“I really liked running with my team and being able to experience a big race,” Kashak said. “Especially with something like conference championships and regionals, it’s nice to go into a big meet that wasn’t super high-stakes.”

Senior Kathryn Saum continued her anchoring position, finishing just behind Kashak at 104th. Saum was only 0.3 seconds in front of 105th place. However, Saum continued Duquesne’s trend of finishing strong, as she climbed 65 places from her mile one pace.

Even with a shorthanded team, the men’s team has found success in the early section of the season. The Dukes kicked their season off with a second of seven-team placement at the Father Bede Invitational at Saint Francis. Duquesne had four runners finish in the top 10, with Shields taking fifth overall in the event.

Shields has been a force to be reckoned with for the Dukes, becoming their top runner in his second year on the Bluff. Shields finished 16th in the men’s college brown 8K, helping lead Duquesne to finishing 10th in the race.

Even with the inflated competition, Shields made sure it didn’t distract him or the rest of his team from the goals set before the meet. To the Dukes, this invitational was just as important as any other.

“I knew I wanted to treat this like a conference race, so I went out there with the front pack and tried to hold on as long as possible,” Shields said.

Shields had a turbulent race, ending the first mile in 21st before picking up steam to earn 14th by five kilometers in. He got as high as 12th in the sixth kilometer before settling at 16th by the finish.

Just over a minute later, senior Nathaniel Woshner crossed the line for Duquesne in 46th place. Teammate Anthony Ciecierski wasn’t far behind, placing 68th and giving the Dukes some quality points from the first 100.

The team was able to earn 10th in the race, with each scoring Duke finishing above 130th out of 314 runners. Overall, Duquesne finished 64th of 158 qualified teams in the weekend.

Duquesne comes back across the Susquehanna River to participate in the Carnegie Mellon Invitational in Clinton, Pa. on Saturday. The Dukes will then head to the University of Virginia Open in Charlottesville for another pivotal, nationally-accredited meet.

Ben Deihl can be reached at deihlb1@duq.edu