This past Saturday saw around 30 different Division III schools from across New England compete in the invitational that was hosted by Keene State. For the Owls, this was the fourth invitational of the year, the men’s team having most recently placed seventh and the women’s team at eighth.
The air at the Owl Athletic Complex was filled with excitement and fans coming in to support their respective teams.
An unseasonably warm October Saturday morning in the mid to high 60s and almost crystal clear skies in every direction made for an uninterrupted day of competition.
The men’s 8K run was the first event of the day, with everyone getting going at the sound of the starting pistol. Tufts University junior Jonah Reisner won the race with a time of 24:12.2.
The first Owl to cross the finish line was junior Tyler Bolaske with a fifth-place finish and a time of 24:32.7. This is Bolaske’s new personal best, beating his previous record of 25:55.3 at the invitational before this at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.
He was not the only Owl to finish within the top 100 runners. Fellow junior Griffin Urnezis (35th, 25:44.0), sophomores Nicholas Terranova (47th, 26:10.1) and Ben Tetu (64th, 26:41.5) also joined him. Keene State placed fifth overall, with a total of 202 points, just behind Plymouth State University.
The women’s race began at noon, again to the sound of the starting pistol. Graduate student Maggie St John was the first Owl for the women’s team to cross the finish line, with a place of 25 and a time of 22:36.8. Two fellow Keene Owls finished within the top 100 runners, sophomores Kallie Warner (69th, 23:44.4) and Ava Fortin (99th, 24:46.6). The women’s team placed 10th overall among 26 teams, with 324 points total.
The runners in the races had a lot of support to motivate them, whether it came from fellow teammates, classmates or family members.
One of the parents attending was Ana McLaughlin from Massachusetts, whose daughter attends Westfield State University.
“I think one of the best things about this race is just how nice it is out today. I’ll bet the wind will be nice once they’re running,” McLaughlin said.
Another parent who attended the invitational was Eric, who felt the runners enjoyed the grind and pushed through because of their passion..
“I’d say that while they [runners] look tired after all that running, I’m willing to guess that is what they love about it,” he said.
With the conclusion of this invitational, Keene State will attend its next one on Saturday, Oct. 18, at Connecticut College. This will be the last invitational meet before the Little East Conference Championship.
Nathan Eliopoulos can be contacted at
