By: Kate Wiggins
The Golden Griffs hit Lake Buena Vista, Fla. this past weekend where they competed in the MAAC Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships which was held at the ESPN World Wide of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort.
In the men’s 8k race, junior Tom Appenheimer led the Griffs, with a finishing time of 25:15 taking eleventh place and earning himself an All-MAAC accolade. Senior Michael Peppy crossed the finish line second for Canisius, just two places behind Appenheimer taking thirteenth with a time of 25:24.5. Peppy, too, landed himself All-MAAC recognition. As a team, the men got themselves a sixth place finish, coming in with 149 points, 32 points ahead of Marist, and falling behind Rider.
In the 6k women’s race, senior Libby Benzer led the pack for the lady Griffs, finishing with a time of 21:08.2, earning herself a fourteenth place finish. Benzer was also awarded with All-MAAC honors for the first time in her career at Canisius. Junior Marissa Silba came in next for Canisius taking fortieth place, crossing the finish line at 23:08.2. The women’s team took a seventh place finish, with a total of 204 points, beating Fairfield by two points, and coming behind Marist.
“I’m proud of what our programs were able to accomplish today,” head coach Nate Huckle told GoGriffs.com. “From our front runners through our scoring pack, they committed to our race strategy and believed in each other.”
The NCAA Northeast Regionals are up next for the Griffs, which is planned to be on November 12, and will take place in Boston.