Cross country men and women show grit

An inspired and motivated MHCC cross country team pushed hard and finished third in both the women’s and men’s events at the Mike Hodges Invitational held last Saturday in Oregon City.

After a difficult few weeks in which many of the athletes battled both sickness and injuries, the Saints minimized their mistakes to perform well at Clackamas Community College, their coach said.

“The most significant improvement at this meet from previous competitions was the mental attitude,” said Matt Hart, MHCC head coach.

The runners were “able to minimize the doubts and worries of competing,” he said.

Leading the men’s team once more over 8,000 meters was freshman Brandon Raleigh, who finished first for the team and placed sixth overall with a time of 26:29. That was nine seconds off his fastest time of the year, registered during the Charles Bowles Invitational one week earlier.

Another runner showing steady improvement is freshman Taylor Hybl, who placed 14th overall with a time of 27:32, one of his best times yet.

The women’s race was scheduled to be 5,000 meters but ended up much shorter, Hart said. “The leading women took a wrong turn and shortened the course to 4,340 meters,” he said. “The placement was relative as everyone ended up following.”

More errors came at the finish line, where the order for women in 14th place and higher was scrambled, Hart said. “With input from the coaches and participants, the results ended up getting cleared up,” he said.

Separate from that mess, two Mt. Hood freshmen placed in the top ten.

Emily Trosino finished third with a time of 17:09, and her teammate Haley McDonald finished sixth at 17:18, helping the women earn third place.

Despite the glitches, both MHCC teams got a feel for the course, which should be a little bit of advantage as the Southern Region Championships will be hosted by Clackamas Oct. 26 on the same course.

First will come the Lewis & Clark Invitational outside Estacada, on Saturday, where both teams hope to build on their momentum.