The Oberlin College cross-country teams kicked off their season Sept. 2 at the non-conference Denison Classic meet in Granville, Ohio. Oberlin performed very impressively at the non-scored meet, leaving the school hopeful for its conference meets, which count for points.

On the men’s side of things, third-year Matt Ferris-Smith finished second in the two-mile race with a time of 10:37. Ferris-Smith was trailed closely by his teammates, first-years Connor Doss, who finished with a time of 10:54, and Corey Squire, who finished with a time of 11:00. In the 5000-meter race, third-year Travis Grout led the way for the Yeomen, finishing sixth with a time of 16:49.

The Oberlin women’s squad also fared quite well in the two-mile event. First-year Flannery Cerbin finished third overall with a time of 12:39. She was followed by two other Obies hot on her trail, as third-year Ariane Burwell finished fourth with a time of 12:43 and second-year Marie Bennett finished fifth with a time of 12:48.

The 5000-meter event went almost as well as the two-mile for the Yeowomen, as first-year Aileen Gallagher crossed the finish line in third place with a time of 20:11. First-year Maddy Davis-Hayes finished fifth with a time of 20:25 , and second-year Alison Doniger finished seventh with a time of 20:36.

Head Coach Ray Appenheimer was delighted with the effort put forth by both the men and women, but remarked that the best is still yet to come. “We had a number of athletes who were diligent with their summer training. The best part of our effort today is that even though we ran well, we will be much, much better two months from now.”