9/21/2009 -

Navin Purushotham led the Dolphins to a ninth place finish on Saturday.

Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. – The College of Mount Saint Vincent Cross Country teams were both strong on Saturday at the Bard Invitational. The men’s team placed ninth out of 16 scoring teams and was led by sophomore Navin Purushotham (Orange, Conn.), while an incomplete women’s team was led by junior Stephanie Widmer (Harrison, N.Y.).

The men’s squad finished the meet with 289 points, good for its best team finish of the season. Purushotham led the way by finishing 52nd overall for the Dolphins in a time of 30:31. Sophomore Mahabir Samuel (Bronx, N.Y.) had a strong run in his collegiate debut by crossing the finish line in 66th place overall in 31:42. Andrew Giordano (Staten Island, N.Y.) in 74th place, Michael Coverdale (Yonkers, N.Y.) in 78th place and Steven Oliver (Brooklyn, N.Y.) in the 86th position overall rounded out the scoring five for the Dolphins.

Widmer finished the day with the best individual finish for the Dolphins, placing 37th overall out of 119 runners. She completed the course in a time of 23:35. She was followed by Mary Eileen Kiernan (Rockaway Point, N.Y.) who took 84th place overall and Ana Garcia (Kingwood, N.J.) who crossed the finish line in 101st position.

The Dolphins will look to build on Saturday’s performance when they compete in the York (N.Y.)Invitational on Sunday, September 27.

Men’s Results – 9th Place (289)
52. Navin Purushotham, 30:31
66. Mahabir Samuel, 31:42
74. Andrew Giordano, 32:20
78. Michael Coverdale, 32:44
86. Steven Oliver, 33:14
123. Sebastian Osnard, 42:42

Women’s Results – Incomplete
37. Stephanie Widmer, 23:35
84. Mary Eileen Kiernan, 26:56
101. Ana Garcia, 28:41