Both the Quinnipiac men’s and women’s cross country teams hosted Central Connecticut State University for the Quinnipiac Invitational. The women’s team took first while the men’s team placed second.

All seniors were honored before the start of the races for their dedication to the team during their tenure at the school.

Senior Becca White who has won the 5k invitational twice in the previous three years was at the head of the pack early on and continued to dominate up until the end of the race. Finishing the race in 18:11, nearly 30 seconds faster than any other runner, Becca coasted to her third victory at the event. The rest of the Bobcats followed suit with six of the top seven spots in the race.

Head coach Carolyn Martin was extremely pleased with the effort and the execution of the game plan.

“We wanted the women to run in a couple different groups today,” Martin said.  “We really wanted to work on pack running. They did a great job of executing.”

On the men’s side, another senior led the way for the 8k race. Mike Levene, one of the men’s top runners, ran a consistent race trying to put himself in a good position at the end. With 100 yards left, he was in fifth place, kicking it into gear to speed past three runners. He almost took second but fell short.

Martin was enthused about Levene’s third place finish.

“Mike really surprised me today,” Martin said. “The last couple weeks he’s really been working hard and he’s putting himself in a better position to really contribute this season.”

As both the men’s and women’s teams look to the future, they hope to build off the success of today’s event. With next week off, the Bobcats continue their season at the Lehigh Paul Short Invitational on Friday, Sept. 28.