The Washington University men’s and women’s cross country teams went up against their toughest competition of the season when they ran in the Greater Louisville Classic this past Saturday, Oct. 2. The men’s team, currently No. 2 in Division III, placed 16th. The women’s team, currently No. 3, up from No. 4 last week, took 18th in its meet.

The meet, held in Louisville’s scenic Tom Sayer State Park, hosted 323 male runners and 302 female runners, making it the largest race of the year for the Bears. The competitors, 35 men’s teams and 38 women’s team, contained many top schools from NCAA Divisions I and II, including D-I heavyweights University of Georgia and University of Louisville.

“There were a ton of really good teams there,” junior Michael Burnstein said. “We were the only D-III school in the race. There were probably eight of the top 10 D-II schools there, as well as some great [D-I teams]. I’d say there was more competition in this race than any race I’ve been in.”

Despite the competition, Burnstein ran well, placing 57th with an 8-km. time of 24:45.68, leading the Wash. U. men. Senior Dave Spandorfer was right on his heels, recording a time of 24:46.84, taking 60th place. The next three Bears to finish were senior Erik Hinrichsen, who finished 118th with a time of 25:20.06, sophomore David Hamm, who finished 123rd in 25:22.36, and junior Tucker Hartley, who finished 156th with a time of 25:35.82.

These five results gave the team a score of 477 points, which placed them 16th, 380 points behind first-place finisher Louisville. In finishing 16th, the Bears beat some of the best athletic programs in the nation, including the University of Kentucky and University of Missouri.

The women’s team also performed well, recording a score of 540 to take 18th in the meet. Freshman Sarah Fisher led the way, finishing in 96th place with a 5-km. time of 18:30.84. Just like they did at the Saluki Invitational last week, the Bears did a great job of running as a team.

“We were really excited about closing the gap between our top five. Usually we have a tight pack in the top four and a big gap between our fourth and fifth finishers, so it was great to see that gap disappear,” junior Erika Jackey said.

The next four Wash. U. finishers were less than 22 seconds behind Fisher. Junior Liz Phillips crossed the finish line in 18:34.31 to take 103rd. Senior Jessica Londeree recorded a time of 18:35.56, finishing 108th. The two runners capping off the tight pack were Jackey, who finished in 18:49.90 and took 141st place, and senior Taryn Surtees, who had a time of 18:52.01 and placed 149th.

“And I know for me personally, it helped so much having teammates push me in that race. Two of my teammates ran in front of me for the whole race, and I just hung on the best I could,” Jackey added. “We just stuck together and helped push each other.”

The two teams will head to Terre Haute, Ind., next Saturday, Oct. 9, to continue their season. The meet, the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Gibson Family Collegiate Invitational, starts at noon.