Photo: St. Bonaventure Athletics
BY KYLE MAIER, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The St. Bonaventure men’s and women’s cross country teams finished their 2023 seasons last Friday at the Northeast Regionals in the Bronx. Eleven Bonnies qualified for the event.
Junior Clay Peets continued to break records, running the Van Cortland Park 10k course in 31:07.3, the best time by a Bonnie at the Northeast Regionals since John Sullivan’s 32:14 in 1980. Individually, Peets finished 85th out of 259 runners.
Sophomore Aiden Scattergood was the second Bonnie to finish, running a 31:51.7 and breaking the same record set by Sullivan. Scattergood placed 134th individually.
Three other Bonnies also made their way into the school record books.
Senior Zane Courtwright ran a 33:00.5, the eighth best 10k time ever by a Bonnie. Sophomore Alex Ryan’s time of 33:57.1 placed him 14th all-time, while classmate Ethan Luce finished in 34:20.5, tying him for 20th in school history.
Freshman Joshua Lopez ran a 34:33.9, finishing 230th, while junior Colin McCarthy placed 235th with a time of 34:48.2.
“I have faced some challenges due to small injuries and making the adjustment from high school to collegiate racing. However, I would say that Coach Mac and Coach Lonzi, along with the team around me, have provided a good support system and made the transition to college smooth, which has allowed me to perform at this level,” said Lopez. “The team this season has really come together and put some historical team performances up even with all the challenges we have faced. We managed to elevate our program to new heights, which has been the goal since day one on campus and will continue to be in the seasons to come.”
As a team, the Bonnies finished 32nd out of 37 teams with 840 points.
Freshman Megan Lex led the women’s team, matching her personal record and running a team-best 22:55.5 6k, the sixth best time by a Bonnie. The second time finishing first on the team this season, Lex placed 182nd individually out of 261 runners.
Sophomore Mia Winters finished three seconds behind at 22:55.8, placing 183rd. Winters finished top two on the team at every meet this fall.
“Our team this year is bigger, and all of the freshmen have been such a good addition to our team because they all have helped the culture of our team and our performance overall,” said Winters. “My personal performance has been really good since last season, and I have been extremely proud of myself this season.”
Sophomore Jenna Gregory ran a 23:47.9, placing 229th, while freshman Katelyn Wilkes followed right behind at 23:49.6. Gregory and Wilkes finished top four on the team at every race this season.
maierkj22@bonaventure.edu
