Catholic University Begins 2026 Cross Country Season at Pole Green Park Near Richmond
Catholic University started its 2026 cross-country season on Saturday, September 5, at Pole Green Park near Richmond, Virginia. It was great that the team got back in action after a long layoff, but transfers and injuries somewhat hampered them.
It was a brilliant and sunny day, and the races for both the men and the women took place in the morning, when the temperature was in the seventies. This was a pleasant change from the recent heat in the Mid-Atlantic. The weather is now sure to cool down as we head into Autumn, and it will be better for running. Do you believe it will cool down?
Catholic University Kicks off 2026 Season
Catholic University began its 2026 Cross Country season at the Spider Alumni Open, which was hosted by the University of Richmond. The weather was pretty nice, and the races took place early in the day before it got too hot. The Catholic University team had to contend with a key transfer and several injuries. The men ran six kilometers, and the women ran four kilometers. Here is how the races played out.
For the boys, the story was the leadership of Catholic University’s superb freshman class. Freshman Aidan Malloy, from Davidson, North Carolina, was the top finisher on the day for the Cardinals. He was 51st out of 136 athletes, with a six-kilometer time of 20:21.5. He was just the second division three athlete to finish.
Matt Haugh, a sophomore, ran a time of 21:00.8 and placed 68th overall in the race. Teammates Patrick Morris, a junior, and Quinn Langan, a freshman, finished in 72nd and 73rd place. Matt Montgomery, another freshman, finished with a time of 21:39.3 and in 80th place. He was the fifth finisher for Catholic University, capping their scoring.
Why Points And Placements Are So Crucial
Those five placements added up to 266 points and placed ninth overall. Catholic University was second only to Christopher Newport University with 256 points. The point total is the sum of the places, and the lower a team’s score, the better.
Catholic University had 9 other male finishers. They were Brady Falcon, a Sophomore; Kyle Beaber, a freshman; Kamaran Jagadesan, a Junior; Shane Waring, a junior;
Tim Brown, a sophomore; Tim Sweeney; Peter Winter, a senior; Joshua Leon, a junior; and Conor Fagan, a freshman.
Missing from this list is last year’s freshman sensation, Michael Burnett. He has transferred to the University of Miami. He was very good, even record-setting, so the team will feel his loss. Of the strong team that remains, Peter Winter is the only senior.
How The Women’s Team Compared
The women finished thirteenth overall, but were third among Division III teams. They tallied 359 points. Catherine Lorelle, a junior, was first on the team with a time of 16:55.4 in 82nd-place. Among Division III females, she was eleventh.
Freshman Gianna Frey finished in 100th place; fellow freshman Ellie Schnittman followed just behind in 103rd. These were good results for their collegiate debuts. The Catholic University athletes were tightly bunched. Sophomore Isabel Doran placed 105th. Senior Zoey Brown finished in 107th place. That concluded the Lady Cardinals’ scoring. She was the only female senior.
Conclusion
The Cardinals will race at the South Region Preview in Lynchburg, Virginia, on Saturday, September 19th. By then, they hope to be healthy, as injuries have affected both the men and women. They are competitive with other Division III teams right now, but could dominate them with some good health. This is a young team, and many of the runners will only get better.
