NEWARK, Del. – Rutgers cross country dominated the competition at the Delaware Invitational on Friday, Oct. 13, claiming the top three spots in both the men’s and women’s races. Kyle Rakitis, Zeb Hinker and Brian Pedretti went 1-2-3 in the men’s 8K, while Alex Carlson, Sofia Condron and Rylee Ferretti swept first through third in the women’s 6K.
The men earned nine of the top 10 spots and the women finished with a total of five runners in the top 10. It marked the second time this season that the women’s team finished first, second and third in a race.
“The team did a great job today,” said head cross country coach Matthew Jelley. “This was our last chance to prep for the Big Ten Championships and they took advantage of that opportunity. The goal for both squads was to work together and close the gap from one through five. Both the men and women accomplished that and got the team and individual wins.”
The finish to the men’s race was a tight affair with Rakitis slightly edging the Rutgers pack by a tenth of a second. Rakitis ran 26:00.7 to win the Delaware Invitational, followed closely by Hinker and Brian Pedretti in 26:00.8. The Scarlet Knights received scoring from Liam Tilton who placed fifth with a time of 26:17.1, while Micah Lawson finished sixth in 26:19.7.
Carlson won her second race of the season, leading the field with a time of 21:43.3. Condron finished runner up in 22:35.6 and narrowly ahead of Ferretti in 22:36.1. Emma Baeyens and Sophia Reich rounded out the scoring as they posted top-10 finishes with Baeyens placing ninth in 23:21.9, followed by Reich in 23:23.1.
The Scarlet Knights will break for two weeks in preparation for the 2023 Big Ten Championships on the campus of Wisconsin at the Zimmer Championship Course on Friday, Oct. 27.
Men’s 8K
1. Rutgers 17
2. Delaware State 59
3. Delaware TC 92
4. Goldey-Beacom 93
5. Coppin State 134
6. Delaware Tech…
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