NEWARK, N.J. — The Pratt Institute men's and women's cross country teams competed at the 22nd Annual NJIT XC Invitational on Saturday morning at Branch Brook Park in Newark, N.J., with both squads running individual entrants and logging three collegiate personal bests.
Sophomore Melis Kavlicoglu (Reno, Nev.) directed the gold-and-black in the open women's 5k race, earning an 11th-place finish in a multi-division field with a personal-best time of 20:58.3. Kavlicoglu held an active 6:45-per-mile pace throughout the morning to narrowly miss a top-10 spot.Â
Pratt placed two more runners inside the top 40. Sophomore Sonai Castrillo (Pine Hill, N.J.) crossed the line in 27th place with a personal-best mark of 23:06.4, shaving time off her previous career standard, while sophomore Maria Bustamante (The Woodlands, Texas) finished 36th overall in 24:12.4.
In the men's open 8k race, sophomore Jackson Brock (Vicenza, Italy) served as the Cannoneers' lone competitor, posting a career-best time of 31:42.7 to place 61st overall in a 140-runner field, averaging 6:23 per mile across the course.
The Cannoneers head to Kings Park, N.Y., on Saturday, October 17, to take part in the St. Joseph's-LI Invitational at Sunken Meadow State Park. Race action begins at 12 p.m.
