Senior tri-captain Travis Grout won the Otterbein Invitational on Sept. 23

September 23, 2006 -- There is a buzz of excitement around the Oberlin cross country program, and after the men's and women's efforts at their last two races, the optimism is certainly deserved. The Yeowomen won their second straight title this afternoon, dominating a field of 10 teams to place first with 30 points at the Otterbein Invitational. The Yeomen, led by senior tri-captain Travis Grout's first-place finish, placed fourth as a team with 89 points.

The Oberlin women simply had an outstanding day at Otterbein, placing four runners in the race's top six to blow the rest of the field away by 47 points. Mount Union College finished second with 77 points, while North Coast Athletic Conference opponent Denison University earned third place with 88 points.

Maddy Davis-Hayes, just a sophomore, led the way for the Yeowomen by placing second with a time of 23:25 in the 6K event. Tri-captains Marie Barnett (Jr.) and Ariane Burwell (Sr.) were Oberlin's next two finishers today. Barnett crossed the finish line in 23:31 for fourth place, while Burwell finished closely behind her teammate, placing fifth in 23:32. Junior Alison Doniger was placed sixth in 23:41, while sophomore Flannery Cerbin rounded out Oberlin's top five with a 13th-place time of 24:12.

"I'm really happy with the way the women dominated the field," Head Coach Ray Appenheimer said. "It was a great team effort across the board today."

Grout put forth a gutsy race today for the Yeomen, winning the Otterbein Invite with an 8K time of 26:35. The next closest finisher to Grout was nearly 20 seconds away, Denison's Grant Russo (26:52).

Said Appenheimer, "It was great to watch Travis compete and win against a quality field of competition. He was in control of the race from the beginning to the end."

Sophomore Conor Doss broke the tape in 27:39 today for Oberlin, placing 16th, while seniors Matthew Ferris-Smith (22nd place) and John Shaw (23rd place) finished back-to-back in 27:51 and 27:53, respectively. Junior Andrew Higgins was the fifth-highest finisher for the Yeomen, placing 28th with a time of 28:08.

"Today's efforts by both the men and women show that good things are in store for us as prepare for the All-Ohio Championships next weekend," Appenheimer added.

The Yeomen and Yeowomen will compete in the All-Ohio event next Friday (October 6) at Ohio Wesleyan. The races are set to begin at 2:30 p.m.

Men's Results | Women's Results