MHCC cross country opens season with limited numbers in opener

MHCC cross country didn’t have much to work with at their season opener last Saturday, at the Northwest Classic, featuring a sparse roster of seven runners.

Nonetheless, when you can’t rely on quantity to get the job done, you look to quality and the Saints had numerous top 25 finishes.

The women’s team, which competed without a complete team, consisted of two sophomore returners including Christa Collmer, who finished 11th , 20:21, followed by Molly Scoles, 24:35.

On the men’s side, which managed to pull together a full team for the season opener, featured four freshmen and only one returner.

Freshman Nathan Geiter led the group, placing 20th overall with a time of 21:58 with fellow freshman in Vlad Ishenin following in 24th, 22:08.
Freshman Alex Seymour was the next Saint to finish, coming in at 46th place, 23:45, and sole sophomore Brian Hoglund finishing in 51st, 24:11.
Lt Avants was the final finisher on the men’s side, taking 61st overall with a time of 25:27.

Given that the women’s team as of yet is without a full complement, head coach Matt Hart is hoping to get some fresh legs on to the team within the coming weeks.

“I originally had 7 women on the roster this summer but various circumstances came up and made it difficult for most of them to commit,” said Hart.

“If there are any students who would like to be a part of a team and have fun getting fit, we would love to discuss opportunities to join the MHCC men’s or women’s cross country team,” he said.

Hart also said that any interested athletes can look forward to possibly some financial assistance for qualified athletes.

“I am optimistic that my assistant coaches Jim Satterfield and Keith Maneval will be very helpful in getting some very strong student-athletes on our team for next year,” said Hart.

“We have a small team, but there is a lot of talent in the men’s and women’s programs,” he said, adding that hopefully the freshman on the team will set up a good foundation for next year’s group.

This weekend the team will be taking part in the Charles Bowles Invitational, a considerably larger meet than the opener with last year’s meet holding well over 100 participates per event.

In regards to that, Hart said, “There will be quite a few more teams competing this weekend so I’m not really worried about how our individuals will place.  However, I think that many of them have the opportunity to set new personal records.”
The women’s team will also be getting a boost this weekend as it adds its first women’s freshman onto the team.

“We will have one additional woman, Monica Amaro, competing at the Willamette Invite this weekend but we are still looking to include at least two more to round out a complete women’s team,” said Hart.

“I think we are looking very strong in training and we are excited to see our team perform the way they have been preparing to perform,” he said.

The Charles Bowles Invitational begins at 9:30 a.m. at Bush Park in Salem, Ore.