The University of Maine men’s and women’s cross country teams took a trip to Colombia, Missouri on Sept. 26 to compete in the Gans Creek Invitational. The event featured 36 participating institutions in the men’s 8,000-meter race. Additionally, 38 schools competed in the women’s 6,000-meter event.
“The program is shaping up amazingly well. We’re starting to catch our rhythm,” Head Coach Adam Ward said. “We’re super excited about what’s to come for the future as we move into championship season for cross country.”
On the men’s side, the Black Bears placed 17th at the event, accumulating 510 points. Graduate student and Maine native Luke Marsanskis led the team with a strong performance, finishing in seventh place out of well over 300 competitors. Marsanskis completed the course with a time of 23:17.9, eclipsing his previous career best.
Second-year runner Charlie Collins followed for Maine with a 24:18.4 finish, for 64th overall. First-year runner Ned Farrington rounded out the top three for the Black Bears with a time of 24:34.4.
“We have great young, energetic talent, and great veterans who have exceptional experience at the championship level, and we are looking forward to blending those things together,” Ward said.
Meanwhile, the Maine women’s team placed 32nd with 903 points at the invitational. First-year runner Ryan O’Connor was the top finisher for the Black Bears, taking 148th out of 329 competitors with a time of 22:01.5. Fourth-year runner Marlee Yoder followed for Maine at 22:23.8. Graduate student and Bangor native Lydia Gilmore completed the top three with a time of 22:42.6.
Moving forward, Ward seeks to turn the cross country program into “a top 20 program nationally.” He added, “It’s gonna take time to get there, but we’ve had great success recently and we want to continue to build on that success.”
Ward also highlighted the academic success the teams have had, and the importance of emphasizing the term “student athlete.”
“We have one young lady working at NASA, others doing engineering, nursing and teaching.”
During Fall 2023, the men’s team earned a cumulative 3.55 GPA while the women’s team registered a 3.64 GPA, placing them both on the All-Academic team list.
The Black Bears have a short break before they head to New Hampshire for the season’s penultimate meet at Franklin Pierce University on Oct. 11.