On September 26th 2015, Stockton hosted its first and last home cross country meet of the 2015 season. Many spectators came to watch this event because it was the Osprey men’s and women’s only home meet this year. The match took place on the athletic fields on the north side of campus off of Pomona Road. When we arrived, many teams were warming up to prepare for the run. In total, fifteen men’s teams and seventeen women’s teams competed in the race.
The women’s teams ran first. At the start of the race, all seventeen of the women’s teams began the run across the field. The spectators stood close by to cheer on all of the teams. After the initial start of the race, the teams continued running the course. However, the spectators could not see the runners for most of the race because the course goes through the woods that surround Stockton. After about ten minutes, the women reappeared across the field for the middle section of the course. Once again, the spectators cheered on the runners as they then ran back into the woods. Then, another fifteen minutes passed before the runners sprinted to the finish line. One by one, all of the runners crossed the finish line with all of the spectators and coaches cheering on their teams. After the women’s race ceased, the men’s race then followed. The fifteen men’s teams ran through the same exact course with an equal level of enthusiasm from the spectators.
After the two races, it was time to announce the awards. Unfortunately, Stockton did not receive first place for either team. However, they still displayed an enormous amount of effort. The women’s team ended up placing in third, finishing only behind two schools, one from Pennsylvania and one from New York. Furthermore, two of the Stockton women runners placed in the top ten. The men’s team placed second, following only behind the school from Pennsylvania. Three of the runners on the Stockton men’s team received top ten finishes.
Overall, the Osprey Open was a great event showcasing the talents of the cross country athletes here at Stockton University. Even though our teams did not receive first place, there was still very impressive finishes for both the men and the women. All of the runners that participated in the race exhibited vast amounts of effort and showed how great the athletics here at Stockton can be.