By Nate Owen

With the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship just two weeks away, the Northeastern men’s and women’s cross country teams made crucial strides this weekend at the Delaware Invitational.

The women’s team placed fifth out of 16 schools with 117 points, while the men took seventh out of 16 teams, finishing with 163 points.

Juniors Tom Brown and Kristie Gagnon continued their dominance as they once again led their respective teams. Gagnon finished third overall, with a time of 18:36.27. Brown finished seventh overall with a time of 26:44.42.

Gagnon was once again followed by sophomore Brittany Moriarty and senior Amy Hicks. Moriarty finished seventh with a time of 18:51.17, while Hicks finished 22nd overall with a time of 19:59.5. Gagnon, Moriarty and Hicks have finished in the top three for the Huskies in every meet this season. Making this feat even more amazing is the fact that this is Gagnon’s first season running cross country, while Moriarty is only in her second season.

“Kristie and Brittany are the two novices, while Amy is the veteran,” head coach Sherman Hart said.

The men’s race saw sophomore Ricky Fendorak finish behind Brown, posting a time of 27:49.98, good for 26th overall. Rounding out the men’s top three was freshman Josh Boss, who placed 43rd with a time of 28:22.9.

Hart said he felt that both teams ran well, but also stressed the need to stay aggressive until the very end.

“We ran well, but the last 200 meters, [we] really have to get after. We need to pass a few people at the end,” he said.

In cross country, Hart said, passing a few runners near the end of the race can drastically alter the final team standings.

“If we had passed on one? person, [the women’s team] could have ended up in fourth.”

To address this problem, Hart said his runners will work extensively with associate head coach Dion Gardner.

“[The runners] need to work on their arms, need to work on running like sprinters [toward the end of the race],” Hart said. “If they can get [their] arms going in the same direction as their legs, we should be in good shape.”

The Huskies have a week off to prepare for the CAA Championship, which will be held Friday, Oct. 27, in Newark, Del.