Pre Race Info
Location: 800 W. Hershey Park Drive, Hershey PA
Date: 11/12/16
Departure Time: 6:15 a.m.
9:00 AM - Men's JR/SR/GR Race - 8k
10:00 AM - Women's JR/SR/GR Race - 6k
11:00 AM - Men's Championship Race - 8k
12:00 PM - Women's Championship Race - 6k
1:00 PM - Men's FR/SO Race - 8k
2:00 PM - Women's FR/SO Race - 6k
Awards: Top 10 individuals, top 3 teams
More info can be found here!
Date: 11/12/16
Departure Time: 6:15 a.m.
9:00 AM - Men's JR/SR/GR Race - 8k
10:00 AM - Women's JR/SR/GR Race - 6k
11:00 AM - Men's Championship Race - 8k
12:00 PM - Women's Championship Race - 6k
1:00 PM - Men's FR/SO Race - 8k
2:00 PM - Women's FR/SO Race - 6k
Awards: Top 10 individuals, top 3 teams
More info can be found here!
Meet Preview
In the midst of one of the most historic elections in modern history, it's time to focus on what will be even more historical, Nationals. Yes, the UMBC Running club travels up to Hershey, Pennsylvania for their final and biggest race of the season.
The women's varsity 6k features Anna Ciattei (So.), Julia Ciattei (So.), and Katelyn Gregory (So.). After two impressive and hard fought races at Princeton and Regionals, Anna will be looking to defend her position as the Club's #1. But it will not be easy. Right behind, Julia will have the fire in her eyes and look to redeem herself after Regionals and soar past her sister. Finally, after a huge improvement at Regionals, could Katelyn PR on a significantly harder course? We think she could be one of the few to accomplish this feat.
The men's varsity 8k features Brandon Folio (Jr.), Matt Glessner (Sr.), Tom Kersting (Sr.), Kevin Wegner (Fr.), Dawit Tegnegn, Thomas Ryba (Sr.), and Sam Clemens (Fr.). After months of hard training, these 7 athletes have proven themselves to represent us in the most competitive club race in the country. Up front, Folio will be looking to prove himself, showing that beating Glessner at Regionals was not a fluke. But it will not be easy. Glessner has been out for almost 2 weeks with a quad injury. Unfortunately we couldn't get him a prosthetic leg as insurance refused to cover it. But here at Running Club HQ, we think optimistically, and the truth is, he has nailed the taper perfectly and will be the most rested of anybody in the field... look out! But could there be an even greater upset? At Regionals, Kersting surged his way to 3rd for the team and nearly set a lifetime PR. It has been rumored that earlier this week, he set the record for the fastest climb up vineyard. But could we be also be forgetting about Wegner? The stud freshman has been MIA for the past couple of weeks. His time at Princeton was within seconds of Folio and Glessner, could he be ready for a breakthrough? Rounding out the prospective top 5, Dawit has steadily recovered from his 3 week break from running and will be looking to prove himself once again. The battle for 6 and 7 is gearing up for a good one between Ryba and Clemens. Sam has been making huge strides in recent weeks, could he be ready to take down Ryba for #6? We heard that Ryba was struggling through some blistering 75 second 400's earlier this week, could he surprise us all?
The men's freshman/sophomore 8k features Alex Hulbert (Fr.), Justin Drew (Fr.), Keith Ferguson (Fr.), and Jason Schuler (So.). Hulbert has been killing it in workouts and tempos in recent weeks and we believe he could PR despite the more difficult Hershey course. Likewise, Justin has been putting a consistent amount of work in, and we think he has great potential for a breakout race. Ferguson has battling an ankle injury but has been getting back in rhythm and looking to end his season with a bang. The only sophomore for the club, Schuler, is looking to teach these Freshman a thing or two and show them how 8k's are supposed to be run.
The men's Junior/Senior/Graduate 8k features Drew Bowling (Jr.), Alexis Morfin (Sr.), Nirmal Nandi (Gr.), and Ramses Long. After upping his milage to what is believed to be 25 miles per week, it's clear that Drew is finally ready for cross country. After a month-long hiatus from racing, Alexis is back and ready to roll. We've heard through the grapevine that he dropped Thomas up Foxhall the other day. Could the hills of Hershey be in his favor? Likewise, Nirmal is eager to race after a month of training. Does he set a PR? But the real story in the field could be Ramses who appears to have even more defined calves than before he started training. Will he have a chip on his shoulder after being left off varsity and surprise?
The course will be constant rolling hills, sharp turns, and some road crossing. The weather looks like it will be 50 degrees and sunny with almost no wind, a perfect day for racing AND spectating.
This is the race we've all been been training for and we will be up against the best schools across the nation. This is not only chance to prove yourself for your school, but to prove yourself to the world. No pressure. 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 women's varsity 6k features Anna Ciattei (So.), Julia Ciattei (So.), and Katelyn Gregory (So.). After two impressive and hard fought races at Princeton and Regionals, Anna will be looking to defend her position as the Club's #1. But it will not be easy. Right behind, Julia will have the fire in her eyes and look to redeem herself after Regionals and soar past her sister. Finally, after a huge improvement at Regionals, could Katelyn PR on a significantly harder course? We think she could be one of the few to accomplish this feat.
The men's varsity 8k features Brandon Folio (Jr.), Matt Glessner (Sr.), Tom Kersting (Sr.), Kevin Wegner (Fr.), Dawit Tegnegn, Thomas Ryba (Sr.), and Sam Clemens (Fr.). After months of hard training, these 7 athletes have proven themselves to represent us in the most competitive club race in the country. Up front, Folio will be looking to prove himself, showing that beating Glessner at Regionals was not a fluke. But it will not be easy. Glessner has been out for almost 2 weeks with a quad injury. Unfortunately we couldn't get him a prosthetic leg as insurance refused to cover it. But here at Running Club HQ, we think optimistically, and the truth is, he has nailed the taper perfectly and will be the most rested of anybody in the field... look out! But could there be an even greater upset? At Regionals, Kersting surged his way to 3rd for the team and nearly set a lifetime PR. It has been rumored that earlier this week, he set the record for the fastest climb up vineyard. But could we be also be forgetting about Wegner? The stud freshman has been MIA for the past couple of weeks. His time at Princeton was within seconds of Folio and Glessner, could he be ready for a breakthrough? Rounding out the prospective top 5, Dawit has steadily recovered from his 3 week break from running and will be looking to prove himself once again. The battle for 6 and 7 is gearing up for a good one between Ryba and Clemens. Sam has been making huge strides in recent weeks, could he be ready to take down Ryba for #6? We heard that Ryba was struggling through some blistering 75 second 400's earlier this week, could he surprise us all?
The men's freshman/sophomore 8k features Alex Hulbert (Fr.), Justin Drew (Fr.), Keith Ferguson (Fr.), and Jason Schuler (So.). Hulbert has been killing it in workouts and tempos in recent weeks and we believe he could PR despite the more difficult Hershey course. Likewise, Justin has been putting a consistent amount of work in, and we think he has great potential for a breakout race. Ferguson has battling an ankle injury but has been getting back in rhythm and looking to end his season with a bang. The only sophomore for the club, Schuler, is looking to teach these Freshman a thing or two and show them how 8k's are supposed to be run.
The men's Junior/Senior/Graduate 8k features Drew Bowling (Jr.), Alexis Morfin (Sr.), Nirmal Nandi (Gr.), and Ramses Long. After upping his milage to what is believed to be 25 miles per week, it's clear that Drew is finally ready for cross country. After a month-long hiatus from racing, Alexis is back and ready to roll. We've heard through the grapevine that he dropped Thomas up Foxhall the other day. Could the hills of Hershey be in his favor? Likewise, Nirmal is eager to race after a month of training. Does he set a PR? But the real story in the field could be Ramses who appears to have even more defined calves than before he started training. Will he have a chip on his shoulder after being left off varsity and surprise?
The course will be constant rolling hills, sharp turns, and some road crossing. The weather looks like it will be 50 degrees and sunny with almost no wind, a perfect day for racing AND spectating.
This is the race we've all been been training for and we will be up against the best schools across the nation. This is not only chance to prove yourself for your school, but to prove yourself to the world. No pressure. 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
On a beautiful Saturday morning, the UMBC Running Club traveled to Hershey, PA to compete in the largest club race in the country. Months of relentless training lead up to this single day, and the athletes were ready to put their bodies to the ultimate test.
The men's Jr./Sr./Gr. 8k was the first race of the day. Alexis Morfin (Sr.) took the pace out hard, hitting the first mile in under 6:30 and leading the team through the half way mark. Meanwhile, our one and only Nirmal Nandi (Gr.) was lead the wrong way at the "Bunny ears" intersection of the course and was forced to drop. Nirmal is 2 for 3 this season for being mislead during the race. This begs the question, why aren't race marshals and spectators doing their jobs and helping him out? For anyone who watched this happen and did nothing, you should be ashamed of yourselves. On the bright side, he lead the national championships through 5k and in our eyes has gained legendary status. But in the end, Drew Bowling (Jr.) came out of nowhere to place first for the team in a HUGE season's best time of 33:24. Not too far behind, and in his debut at 8k, Mike Sack (So.) held on to a solid 34:10. Likewise, Alexis showed his cojones by hanging on to the pace and came away with a big 34:19 PR. Finally, suffering from hypothermia on this frigid 50 degree day, Tanny Ser (Jr.) with his gloves and everything ran a solid 39:19.
Next, the much anticipated men's varsity race was underway. Occupying the last 6 spots in the field, the team took it out conservatively attempting to run a big second half. Heading through the mile in over 6 minutes, the team was trapped in the massive 400+ runner cluster and unable to open up. With things opening up around 3k, the athletes realized they had less energy than expected but knew they had to start hammering. In the end, Brandon Folio (Jr.) took first for the team with a big final mile in 29:16. Meanwhile the battle for second was heating up with Matt Glessner (Sr.) gaining on Tom Kersting (Sr.) after passing over 90 runners since the first mile, and after not running for 2 weeks due to injury. Unfortunately he ran out of real estate and Tom came out on top with a 30:11 with Matt in 30:13. Coming in 4th, Kevin Wegner (Fr.) was unable to handle the sewage stench and asphyxiated to a 31:38. The battle for 5th lived up to expectation as Thomas Ryba (Sr.) and Sam Clemens (Fr.) were neck and neck at 4 miles. Simultaneously, Thomas lost both his shoe and sock and was forced to decide between his foot and his pride. But it was Sam who emerged victorious in 32:10 despite a monster kick from Thomas in 32:23.
The varsity women's race was off soon after. As usual, Anna Ciattei (So.) assumed the leading position and lead the team through a flying first 2k. By then Julia Ciattei (So.) and Katelyn Gregory (So.) were being smart and running their own races. At the finish line, Anna came through first in a very impressive 28:53. Julia was a minute back and came through with a vicious kick in 30:06. But arguably the most impressive kick came from Katelyn who closed down an almost 50m gap in the final straight but was impeded at the finish by the defeated runner in a 35:29.
The final race of the day was the men's Fr./So. 8k. It may have been the last but certainly wasn't the least. Taking it through the mile in 6:20 (!) Alex Hulbert (So.) was more determined than ever to beat Drew. To our surprise the rest of our team were not too far behind. By halfway, everybody was starting to feel the hurt and it had to be asked, can they hold on for another 2.5 miles? Coming up "poop out hill" with 1k to go, the grind was real and toughness was the only thing at play. Alex was the strongest and held on to an extremely impressive 34:56. He was over a minute behind Drew and thus remains his grasshopper. Behind, Jason Schuler (So.) had a textbook race and finished in 36:52. Arguably, the biggest surprise was Justin Drew (Fr.) who looked like a true distance runner today setting a PR in 37:58 on the hardest course of the season. Nonetheless, his speed was still there as he took down a slew of slow-twitch runners over the final 100m. But the kick of the day recipient for this week went to Keith Ferguson (Fr.) who started his kick from almost 200m out (!) and picked off an uncountable number of runners all the way to the last meter, all while running on a demolished ankle for 4 miles.
Despite a tough day as a team, spirits were high with several stand-out performances. The club celebrated at Fudruckers before embarking on their journey home.
Thanks to officers Thomas Ryba (P), Drew Bowling (VP), Julia Ciattei (T), and Brandon Folio (S) for making this season possible and enjoyable. We also want to thank Jason's parents for the race photographs in post-run cookies. But most importantly, thanks to everybody who competed this season and represented us on the national stage. We'll be back and more ready than ever for track in the spring!
The men's Jr./Sr./Gr. 8k was the first race of the day. Alexis Morfin (Sr.) took the pace out hard, hitting the first mile in under 6:30 and leading the team through the half way mark. Meanwhile, our one and only Nirmal Nandi (Gr.) was lead the wrong way at the "Bunny ears" intersection of the course and was forced to drop. Nirmal is 2 for 3 this season for being mislead during the race. This begs the question, why aren't race marshals and spectators doing their jobs and helping him out? For anyone who watched this happen and did nothing, you should be ashamed of yourselves. On the bright side, he lead the national championships through 5k and in our eyes has gained legendary status. But in the end, Drew Bowling (Jr.) came out of nowhere to place first for the team in a HUGE season's best time of 33:24. Not too far behind, and in his debut at 8k, Mike Sack (So.) held on to a solid 34:10. Likewise, Alexis showed his cojones by hanging on to the pace and came away with a big 34:19 PR. Finally, suffering from hypothermia on this frigid 50 degree day, Tanny Ser (Jr.) with his gloves and everything ran a solid 39:19.
Next, the much anticipated men's varsity race was underway. Occupying the last 6 spots in the field, the team took it out conservatively attempting to run a big second half. Heading through the mile in over 6 minutes, the team was trapped in the massive 400+ runner cluster and unable to open up. With things opening up around 3k, the athletes realized they had less energy than expected but knew they had to start hammering. In the end, Brandon Folio (Jr.) took first for the team with a big final mile in 29:16. Meanwhile the battle for second was heating up with Matt Glessner (Sr.) gaining on Tom Kersting (Sr.) after passing over 90 runners since the first mile, and after not running for 2 weeks due to injury. Unfortunately he ran out of real estate and Tom came out on top with a 30:11 with Matt in 30:13. Coming in 4th, Kevin Wegner (Fr.) was unable to handle the sewage stench and asphyxiated to a 31:38. The battle for 5th lived up to expectation as Thomas Ryba (Sr.) and Sam Clemens (Fr.) were neck and neck at 4 miles. Simultaneously, Thomas lost both his shoe and sock and was forced to decide between his foot and his pride. But it was Sam who emerged victorious in 32:10 despite a monster kick from Thomas in 32:23.
The varsity women's race was off soon after. As usual, Anna Ciattei (So.) assumed the leading position and lead the team through a flying first 2k. By then Julia Ciattei (So.) and Katelyn Gregory (So.) were being smart and running their own races. At the finish line, Anna came through first in a very impressive 28:53. Julia was a minute back and came through with a vicious kick in 30:06. But arguably the most impressive kick came from Katelyn who closed down an almost 50m gap in the final straight but was impeded at the finish by the defeated runner in a 35:29.
The final race of the day was the men's Fr./So. 8k. It may have been the last but certainly wasn't the least. Taking it through the mile in 6:20 (!) Alex Hulbert (So.) was more determined than ever to beat Drew. To our surprise the rest of our team were not too far behind. By halfway, everybody was starting to feel the hurt and it had to be asked, can they hold on for another 2.5 miles? Coming up "poop out hill" with 1k to go, the grind was real and toughness was the only thing at play. Alex was the strongest and held on to an extremely impressive 34:56. He was over a minute behind Drew and thus remains his grasshopper. Behind, Jason Schuler (So.) had a textbook race and finished in 36:52. Arguably, the biggest surprise was Justin Drew (Fr.) who looked like a true distance runner today setting a PR in 37:58 on the hardest course of the season. Nonetheless, his speed was still there as he took down a slew of slow-twitch runners over the final 100m. But the kick of the day recipient for this week went to Keith Ferguson (Fr.) who started his kick from almost 200m out (!) and picked off an uncountable number of runners all the way to the last meter, all while running on a demolished ankle for 4 miles.
Despite a tough day as a team, spirits were high with several stand-out performances. The club celebrated at Fudruckers before embarking on their journey home.
Thanks to officers Thomas Ryba (P), Drew Bowling (VP), Julia Ciattei (T), and Brandon Folio (S) for making this season possible and enjoyable. We also want to thank Jason's parents for the race photographs in post-run cookies. But most importantly, thanks to everybody who competed this season and represented us on the national stage. We'll be back and more ready than ever for track in the spring!