The Spartans men’s and women’s cross country teams finished off their seasons on Saturday competing at the NCAA regional race in Gorham, Maine.
“NCAA went pretty well – everyone ran well for girls and boys,” senior captain Steve Hagemann said. “The course was fast, little muddy, but it still was an awesome race.”
The men’s team was able to finish 36th overall as a team with great individual performances across the board. Hagemann led the charge for the Spartans with an impressive 132nd place finish and a time of 27:12. Jonah LaVigne finished out his great freshman campaign with a time of 28:11, which was good enough for 176th place overall. Matt Woodward was next for the Spartans coming in 220th place and posting an impressive time of 28:55. Coming in fourth for the Spartans was George Forbes running a 30:04 which was good enough for 289th place.
“Jonah, Woody and George are posed to be our top three next year,” Hagemann said. “All three are really hungry to succeed and it shows in their dedication to the sport.”
Rounding out the top five  was Edward Stickter, another freshman on the squad. He ran hard and was able to get 327th place with a time of 32:01. Zach Smith also ran on Saturday for Castleton coming in a minute after Stickter with a time of 32:57 and 337th place.
On the women’s side, they were able to end their season on a high note taking 44th place overall. Coming in first for the team was Shelly Audette, which was her first time finishing first for the Spartans. She came in with a time of 26:21. Freshman standout Kelsey Thompson came in only nine seconds later to post a time of 26:30 and take 272nd place.
“Running in a race of this magnitude can be intimidating,” Senior Captain Mckynze Works said. “We came in with a positive attitude though and left everything on the course.”
Works was the next Spartan to come in, finishing out her Castleton career with a 293rd place finish and a time of 27:03. Another senior, Casey Armstrong, finished out her career as well coming in 13 seconds after Works taking 300th place and running a time of 27:16. Caitlin Ryan rounded out the top five for the Spartans coming in 308th place with a time of 27:40.
Cassie Pinaire and Emily Newman were the other runners for the Spartans coming in 321st place and 353rd place respectively. Pinaire had a time of 28:12, while Newman posted a time of 30:47.
“From the beginning of the season you could tell that this team was special,” Works said. “I was so happy to be a part of a team where everyone was dedicated as much as I am. It made the whole season so much fun and we wanted each other to succeed.”