By Owen Russell
On Oct. 31, the Brooklyn College Men and Women’s Cross Country Teams will compete for the CUNYAC Conference Championships. The meet will take place at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, and it will feature every team in the CUNYAC, all vying for the coveted championship.
“I expect both the men’s and women’s teams to do great at the Championships,” Bulldogs’ Coach Deana Carrington told The Vanguard on how she thinks Brooklyn College will fare. “I predict that both teams will finish in the top three.”
Despite the tough competition, Carrington has confidence in her teams’ abilities.
When Brooklyn tows the line on Sunday, they’ll have the advantage of being very familiar with their competition. In previous meets this season, the Bulldogs have seen all of their competitors at least once. Having gotten a taste for what every team has to offer, Coach Carrington shared who the Bulldogs are keeping a lookout after.
“We have our eyes on a few teams,” Carrington admitted, “Lehman, Baruch, and Queensborough, who we have seen at races this season.” In their previous encounters, both the men and the women have traded positions with the three teams Carrington mentioned. Finishing ahead of them at times, and others finishing behind. Sunday will be the final test of strength.
While the Bulldogs may be familiar with their competition, they are less acquainted with the hills of Van Cortlandt Park. “This year we’ve only had one race at Van Cortlandt Park, and most of the athletes on this year’s team never ran on the course,” Carrington shared.
Hosting thousands of runners every year, Van Cortlandt Park is notorious for its seemingly endless rolling hills. The Bulldogs will have to barrel along with hundreds of competitors as the course narrows into the back hills, becoming a windy mess of tree roots, loose stones, and the occasional fallen racer. Even though Van Cortlandt is a famously tough course, Coach Carrington is sure her teams can rise to the occasion. “It’s been challenging for them, but we were able to go to the park and do a walk-through of the course, now I am confident the Bulldogs will do well at Sunday’s championship.”
Cross Country is most certainly a team sport, but do not overlook the individual aspect of it as well. Teams compete to place highest on the podium, but so do individuals. At the Conference Championships, Shane Kimball of the Brooklyn College men’s team will look to continue his dominant season. Kimball has been named CUNYAC Runner of the Week five times this season and has a very good shot at finishing among the top on Sunday. For the women, BC senior Malak Abuhashish has been the top runner, and she looks to finish strong as well.
Regardless of the outcome on Sunday, Carrington wants to stress how proud she is of her teams for the hard work they have put in.
“I hope the athletes on the team have gained a sense of pride running and representing Brooklyn College,” added Carrington.
The CUNYAC Conference Championships will be on Oct. 31 at Van Cortlandt Park in Riverdale, New York.