PSC Cross Country Teams Take YSCC Championship!

PSC XC Teams Win Yankee Small College Conference Championships

Hampshire College in Amherst, MA

November 4, 2023

Amherst, MA ~ The Paul Smith's College cross country teams both won their respective Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) titles on Saturday in rather convincing fashion.  The women started things off with the scoring five Bobcat runners finishing among the top ten runners, led by first year student, Lilly Rother (Lake Placid, NY).  Rother placed second overall with a time of 26:44, followed by team captain Ellen Haas (Red Creek, NY) in 26:58.  Joanna Kerchner (Reading, PA) was a very pleasant surprise, as she placed fifth in 27:19.  Brooklynn Shumway (Bloomingdale, NY) placed sixth in 28:14, while Olivia Bobbie (North Bangor, NY) placed 8^th with a time of 29:01. 

This was an incredible women's team performance, with four of the top five being freshmen, and three of these runners are from the North Country.  Coach Jim Tucker said, "It is so nice to see Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, and Brushton – Moira High Schools represented, and for this trio of freshmen among the top eight in a collegiate championship is wonderful for Paul Smith's and shows that our locally grown athletes can compete and do well collegiately."

Amy Stults of York County Community College won the event with a time of 26:24, and although YSCC didn't have five finishers to be among the scoring teams, Stults ran a nice strong race, separating herself from the field about two miles into the race. 

Kershner, Shumway, Bobbie and senior Ellie Judice (Dayton, ME) all established personal best performances at the 6K distance on Saturday, with Kershner taking nearly 25 seconds off her previous best. 

The Bobcat women won the event with 18 points, followed by Central Maine CC with 48 points.  Last season's champions, Albany Pharmacy placed third with 72 points, followed by event host, Hampshire College with 83 points.  Paul Smith's women won the YSCC in 2022, and then placed third at USCAA Nationals in the same season, in what was likely the program's best team performance for the women ever.

The Paul Smith's College men's team was paced by a pair of first year students who placed first and second in the 8K championship event.  Eliot Soderholm (Reston, VA) won in 28:41, followed in second place by Tyler Kirschbaum (Webster, NY) in 29:56.  Wesley Burkit (Bath, PA) placed eighth in 31:20, followed by Ryan Chiari (Braintree, MA) in 32:00.  Logan Krahn (Salem, NH) rounded out the scoring five Bobcats with a time of 33:51. 

The men's team won with 31 points, with Vermont Tech placing second with 62 points.  Hampshire College placed third with 68 points, followed by Albany Pharmacy with 81.  Coach Tucker was quite pleased with the overall performance of the men's team and the overall performance of the team.  "Despite missing Ethan Parrish, consistently one of our top performers, the team pulled together to dominate the championship event from top to bottom.  We had eleven runners in the men's race, and they have been so supportive of one another all season long.  Training for cross country can be arduous, as they cover so many miles running through the woodland trails, being vigilant to avoid a rolled ankle or other obstacles and environmental challenges day after day.  This year's team has been a very pleasant crew to work with, and they push one another every day towards better performances on race day."

The team's seventh finisher, Ian Montgomery – Gehrt (Amherst, MA) just completed his Adirondack 46ers, and earlier this fall, Montgomery – Gehrt and fellow teammate, Ethan Parrish hiked the Saranac Lake 6ers in a single day.  Several of the team members completed a half marathon as part of Family Weekend, and a pair of the runners raced another half marathon in mid-October in Albany. 

The team has been preparing for strong individual and team performances at the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Nationals that are taking place on November 12^th in Uniontown PA at the Penn State – Fayette campus.  The runners will depart the North Country Wednesday evening, and spend a day in Pittsburgh, PA before heading towards Uniontown and making last minute preparations for the event.

2023 Yankee Small College Conference Championships ~ Men's and Women's XC

Team Scores – Women                                 Team Scores – Men

1. Paul Smith's 18                                  1.  Paul Smith's 31
2. Central Maine CC 49                          2. Vermont Tech 62
3. Albany Pharmacy 72                          3. Hampshire College 68
4. Hampshire College 83                                    4. Albany Pharmacy 81

Inc. York County CC & NHTI                 inc. NHTI & York County CC

27 finishers                                               46 finishers

PSC Athletic Website: http://paulsmithsbobcats.com/landing/index   

Coach:  Jim Tucker

Assistant Coach:  Philip Dy bfest-Muha