Pre-Race Info
Location: Princeton University
Date: 10/1/16
Departure Time: 8:20 AM
Women 6000m: 12:00 PM
Men 8000m: 1:00 PM
Awards: Top 10 in each race
Goal: Top 7 under 30:00.
More info can be found here!
Date: 10/1/16
Departure Time: 8:20 AM
Women 6000m: 12:00 PM
Men 8000m: 1:00 PM
Awards: Top 10 in each race
Goal: Top 7 under 30:00.
More info can be found here!
Meet Preview
The UMBC Running Club continues their season at the Princeton Invitational this Saturday.
In the women's race, Julia (So.) and Anna (So.) Ciattei compete for the first time this season with Anna debuting at 6k. Last year Julia was our top runner with a 27:02. At the time trial Anna was only 30 seconds behind, but she's got the Ciattei genes and will most definitely be competitive. Katelyn Gregory (So.) also competes in her first race for the club and is more determined than ever to obliterate the 6k distance.
With top runner Matt Glessner absent from the field, the battle for top dawg will be tight. Brandon Folio (Jr.) will be looking for redemption after a discouraging performance last week. Likewise, Kevin Wegner (Fr.), Tom Kersting (Sr.) and Dawit Tegnegn will be looking for answers after falling victim to the harsh conditions at JMU. Thomas Ryba (Sr.) will have a battle on his hands for the 5th scorer with Sam Clemens (Fr.) and Ramses Long rounding quickly into form. The battle for top 7 will be equally exciting with speedsters Alex Hulbert (Fr.) and Drew Bowling (Jr.) facing the epic consistency of Alexis Morfin and the 32 minute guy, Jason Schuler (So.). After having dominating kicks last week, Tanny Ser (Jr.) and Justin Drew (Fr.) look to spread out their energy more evenly and demolish their PRs. Keith Ferguson (Fr.) and Rick Linkous (Jr.) chose to open up their seasons on the much easier course on a much better day. Wimps. They'll be looking to work their way through the pack to blistering time. Nirmal Nandi will be keeping his focus on the race marshals, hoping they aren't conspiring to make him finish at 6k again.
The course will consist of 2 big and 1 small loops for the 8k, and just 2 big loops for the 6k. The course is flat and fast with very few turns. The weather will be 66 degrees at race time with clouds/light rain. As long as the course isn't a mud pit, expect much faster times than at JMU. Friends and family are encouraged to attend. Make sure to stay tuned for updates, photos, and results after the meet. Let's Go Dawgs!
In the women's race, Julia (So.) and Anna (So.) Ciattei compete for the first time this season with Anna debuting at 6k. Last year Julia was our top runner with a 27:02. At the time trial Anna was only 30 seconds behind, but she's got the Ciattei genes and will most definitely be competitive. Katelyn Gregory (So.) also competes in her first race for the club and is more determined than ever to obliterate the 6k distance.
With top runner Matt Glessner absent from the field, the battle for top dawg will be tight. Brandon Folio (Jr.) will be looking for redemption after a discouraging performance last week. Likewise, Kevin Wegner (Fr.), Tom Kersting (Sr.) and Dawit Tegnegn will be looking for answers after falling victim to the harsh conditions at JMU. Thomas Ryba (Sr.) will have a battle on his hands for the 5th scorer with Sam Clemens (Fr.) and Ramses Long rounding quickly into form. The battle for top 7 will be equally exciting with speedsters Alex Hulbert (Fr.) and Drew Bowling (Jr.) facing the epic consistency of Alexis Morfin and the 32 minute guy, Jason Schuler (So.). After having dominating kicks last week, Tanny Ser (Jr.) and Justin Drew (Fr.) look to spread out their energy more evenly and demolish their PRs. Keith Ferguson (Fr.) and Rick Linkous (Jr.) chose to open up their seasons on the much easier course on a much better day. Wimps. They'll be looking to work their way through the pack to blistering time. Nirmal Nandi will be keeping his focus on the race marshals, hoping they aren't conspiring to make him finish at 6k again.
The course will consist of 2 big and 1 small loops for the 8k, and just 2 big loops for the 6k. The course is flat and fast with very few turns. The weather will be 66 degrees at race time with clouds/light rain. As long as the course isn't a mud pit, expect much faster times than at JMU. Friends and family are encouraged to attend. Make sure to stay tuned for updates, photos, and results after the meet. Let's Go Dawgs!
The Race
Meet Recap
The UMBC Running Club continued their regular season Saturday, on a cool, cloudy morning at Princeton University. After harsh conditions and discouraging times at JMU, the athletes were determined to run fast.
The day began with much confusion. As runners approached the meeting spot at Center Rd, they were appalled to see a gigantic inflatable starting line. The meet was supposed to take place in Princeton but how else could the starting line be explained? The only explanation was that the course was mis-measured and was actually 244k instead of 8k, with the finish line being in Princeton. Several runners were clearly getting nervous, especially Thomas who knew he hadn't done enough long runs. Fortunately, the starting line turned out to be the start of an on-campus charity 5k, which probably explained why Joe was there.
The ride was harsh for the cars of Brandon, Rick, and Jason. Between the road closures, road rage, and missing Alexis, the ride took three and a half hours. On the other hand, Drew paid the $13 in tolls and arrived a relaxing 70 minutes before the others. Don't be cheap kids.
On the bright side, everybody made it to the start of the women's race. Anna Ciattei (So.) took it out with the leaders and pushed from the start with Julia Ciattei (So.) and Katelyn Gregory (So.) close behind. At 5k, Anna realized the race was actually 6k and began to hallucinate. With 200 meters to go, she wasn't sure whether she was seeing the finish line or the gates to strawberry unicorn island. Regardless, she kicked full speed ahead and finished in a PR time of 28:22. In the meantime Julia was gaining ground and nearly closed the gap, finishing in a time of 28:31. Katelyn also broke away from her competitors over the final kilometers to finish in a PR time of 37:29.
In the men's race, the runners had completed their pre-race rituals and all that remained was the chant. After a disappointing year of chanting, Drew Bowling (Jr.) decided to get creative. The chant can't be restated here since you had to be there to get the full experience, but it was easily the best chant of the afternoon. Shortly after, a whistle was sounded to gather all the runners into position. This whistle turned out to be the start of the race. The disgruntled runners sprinted down the field with the Retrievers packing up tightly. At the half way point, Brandon Folio (Jr.) and Kevin Wegner (Fr.) were neck and neck, pushing each other to catch the stragglers who went out too fast. They stuck together until the very end with Folio finishing 38th (27:42) and Wegner finishing 39th (27:44). With 100m to go, Tom Kersting (Sr.) found another gear and kicked to a 78th place finish (29:28) with Dawit Tegnegn right behind in 80th (29:30). After smiling from 5k to 7k in order to numb the pain of his obliterated knee, Thomas Ryba (Sr.) was the 5th scorer for the retrievers (31:26).
The confusion continued as the finish line backed up with runners, with many runners having to wait a full minute to cross the line. On top of that, the results were placed out of order and thus, the times and places had to be guessed. Behind Thomas, Ramses Long was the first to encounter the congestion but was still able to finish impressively in 151st (31:52). A minute back, Sam Clemens (Fr.) had a devastating kick, passing four runners in the final 200m to place 175th (33:14). The battle for 8th was fantastic as Jason Schuler, Alexis Morfin, Tanny Ser and Alex Hulbert all broke the 35 minute barrier with times of 34:09, 34:10, 34:38 and 34:40 respectively. Battling two achilles injuries, Drew Bowling pushed through to a solid 205th (36:14). Justin Drew and Keith Ferguson both broke the 40 minute barrier with a 38:03 and a 38:14 respectively. In the final 200 meters, Nirmal Nandi and Rick Linkous (Jr.) worked together to finish 225th (40:17) and 226th (40:25).
The kick of the week goes to Justin Drew after having an epic battle with a runner from GWU over the final 200 meters and ultimately beating him. The runner up goes to Anna Ciattei after kicking down a pack of runners in the final straight while being in a totally altered state of consciousness.
Afterwards, the Retrievers celebrated with their annual lunch at Hoagie Haven. Brandon ended his season after finishing his 16" hoagie and Tanny won the award for "longest time to decide the length of his hoagie."
The UMBC Running Club will be back October 22nd for the beginning of the championship season with Regionals!
The day began with much confusion. As runners approached the meeting spot at Center Rd, they were appalled to see a gigantic inflatable starting line. The meet was supposed to take place in Princeton but how else could the starting line be explained? The only explanation was that the course was mis-measured and was actually 244k instead of 8k, with the finish line being in Princeton. Several runners were clearly getting nervous, especially Thomas who knew he hadn't done enough long runs. Fortunately, the starting line turned out to be the start of an on-campus charity 5k, which probably explained why Joe was there.
The ride was harsh for the cars of Brandon, Rick, and Jason. Between the road closures, road rage, and missing Alexis, the ride took three and a half hours. On the other hand, Drew paid the $13 in tolls and arrived a relaxing 70 minutes before the others. Don't be cheap kids.
On the bright side, everybody made it to the start of the women's race. Anna Ciattei (So.) took it out with the leaders and pushed from the start with Julia Ciattei (So.) and Katelyn Gregory (So.) close behind. At 5k, Anna realized the race was actually 6k and began to hallucinate. With 200 meters to go, she wasn't sure whether she was seeing the finish line or the gates to strawberry unicorn island. Regardless, she kicked full speed ahead and finished in a PR time of 28:22. In the meantime Julia was gaining ground and nearly closed the gap, finishing in a time of 28:31. Katelyn also broke away from her competitors over the final kilometers to finish in a PR time of 37:29.
In the men's race, the runners had completed their pre-race rituals and all that remained was the chant. After a disappointing year of chanting, Drew Bowling (Jr.) decided to get creative. The chant can't be restated here since you had to be there to get the full experience, but it was easily the best chant of the afternoon. Shortly after, a whistle was sounded to gather all the runners into position. This whistle turned out to be the start of the race. The disgruntled runners sprinted down the field with the Retrievers packing up tightly. At the half way point, Brandon Folio (Jr.) and Kevin Wegner (Fr.) were neck and neck, pushing each other to catch the stragglers who went out too fast. They stuck together until the very end with Folio finishing 38th (27:42) and Wegner finishing 39th (27:44). With 100m to go, Tom Kersting (Sr.) found another gear and kicked to a 78th place finish (29:28) with Dawit Tegnegn right behind in 80th (29:30). After smiling from 5k to 7k in order to numb the pain of his obliterated knee, Thomas Ryba (Sr.) was the 5th scorer for the retrievers (31:26).
The confusion continued as the finish line backed up with runners, with many runners having to wait a full minute to cross the line. On top of that, the results were placed out of order and thus, the times and places had to be guessed. Behind Thomas, Ramses Long was the first to encounter the congestion but was still able to finish impressively in 151st (31:52). A minute back, Sam Clemens (Fr.) had a devastating kick, passing four runners in the final 200m to place 175th (33:14). The battle for 8th was fantastic as Jason Schuler, Alexis Morfin, Tanny Ser and Alex Hulbert all broke the 35 minute barrier with times of 34:09, 34:10, 34:38 and 34:40 respectively. Battling two achilles injuries, Drew Bowling pushed through to a solid 205th (36:14). Justin Drew and Keith Ferguson both broke the 40 minute barrier with a 38:03 and a 38:14 respectively. In the final 200 meters, Nirmal Nandi and Rick Linkous (Jr.) worked together to finish 225th (40:17) and 226th (40:25).
The kick of the week goes to Justin Drew after having an epic battle with a runner from GWU over the final 200 meters and ultimately beating him. The runner up goes to Anna Ciattei after kicking down a pack of runners in the final straight while being in a totally altered state of consciousness.
Afterwards, the Retrievers celebrated with their annual lunch at Hoagie Haven. Brandon ended his season after finishing his 16" hoagie and Tanny won the award for "longest time to decide the length of his hoagie."
The UMBC Running Club will be back October 22nd for the beginning of the championship season with Regionals!