September 11, 2021

The Basics

• The lead: In his first official collegiate cross country race, sophomore Liam Concannon was the top finisher for the Stevens Institute of Technology men's cross country team Saturday at the 48th Annual Dutchmen Invitational, hosted by Lebanon Valley College.. 
• Location: Union Canal Tunnel Park - Annville, Pennsylvania
• Short Story: Using a 5:32.31 mile pace, Concannon completed the eight-kilometer course in a time of 27:31.9 to lead Stevens' 12-runner contingent, finishing 16th out of 164 college runners and 211 total runners. Brody Breiler of s.w.i.f.t. racing won the individual crown with a time of 26:09.20 (3:16 per kilometer), with Ursinus' Giles Daly finishing second as the top affiliated finisher with a time of 26:12.20 (3.17 per kilometer). Messiah won the team title with a total of 49 points and an average time of 27:06.00. Stevens finished fifth with a total of 135 points and an average team time of 28:04.20. A total of 17 schools were scored in the event, with a total of 28 colleges and universities submitting at least one entrant.
• Of note: It was the first intercollegiate competition for the Ducks since Nov. 16, 2019 - a span of 665 days. Stevens did not participate in its originally scheduled season opener on Sept. 1 because of Tropical Storm Ida.
• Also of note: A total of six student-athletes made their collegiate cross country debuts.

The Finishes

• Stevens' top-five finishers were spread by 1:16.4 and the top seven were separated by 1:35.8 in the first event of the season. 
• Joining Concannon in making their cross country debuts were fellow sophomores Jake Aylmer and Dhavan Antala, first-years Mason Brewster and Jake Porco and junior Philip Szkudlarski.
• Stevens placed all five of its scoring runners inside the top-50.
• Junior Matt Halvorsen was the next finisher for Stevens, using a 3:29 per kilometer pace to finish the 8k course in 27:51.20. The Bordentown, New Jersey native led a group of three Ducks who finished less than 20 seconds apart. Right behind Halvorsen were Aylmer (28:03.90) and junior Ronnie Melao (28:05.50).
• Antala was the Ducks' final runner to score, using a 3:36 per kilometer pace to reach the finish in 28:48.30. Brewster finished right behind Antala, completing the course in 28:50.
• Porco rounded out Stevens' top-seven with a time of 29:07.70.
• Junior Troy Tomasch (29:21.50) led the next group of finishers with senior Cory Philippe (30:17.90), junior Andrew Donahue (30:38.60), junior Kajetan Leitner (31:40.80) and Szkudlarski (32:35.40) completing the Ducks' contingent.

From the Course - Head Coach Lance Harden

• "This was our first time seeing Lebanon Valley's home course at Union Canal Tunnel Park, where the MAC Cross Country Championships will be held in the fall of 2022. It's a beautiful, spectator-friendly course with multiple circuits over primarily grass with some gravel and mulch. For the most part, the course is relatively flat with a couple gradual inclines and one short, steep hill to get up to the canal path. There were some wet spots that the men faced in the first and final miles, but otherwise the footing was firm and fast."
• "It's been 665 days since our last cross country meet, so we are grateful to be competing again. We missed out on our season opener at Vassar due to Tropical Storm Ida, which is typically a nice reintroduction to racing over shorter distances."
• "We had our men run together in groups since over half of them were racing their debut 8K's. Liam Concannon, Matt Halvorsen, and Jake Aylmer were side-by-side for the first three miles as our front group and ran consecutive 5:30/mile splits. Liam was able to maintain really well over the final two miles; he has taken a huge step forward from outdoor track to now and his confidence and fitness will continue to grow. Ronnie Melao, Mason Brewster and Jake Porco executed our race plan nicely, and it is encouraging to see our two first-years run even-to-negative splits in their first race at this distance. Dhavan Antala battled gamely over the final mile and a half to score for us—he has worked hard to transform himself into a long distance cross country runner from his preferred race length of 800 meters."

Up Next

• Men's cross country returns to the course on Friday, Oct. 1 for the prestigious Paul Short Run, hosted by Lehigh University.

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