Men’s Cross Country Places Fourth at Season Opener

Sept. 1 – (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – Half of the 2007 Carnegie Mellon men’s cross country team made their season debut Saturday, September 1 at the Duquesne Duals held in Schenley Park. Sunny weather and a temperature of 70 degrees was the backdrop for the Tartans’ fourth place finish out of the eight teams competing in the eight kilometer race.

Numerous newcomers made an impact for Carnegie Mellon in the race, with junior Mike Condon (Bend, Ore./Mountain View) coming in tops on the team in 24th place with a time of 27:48 in his first collegiate race. Freshman Justin Kurp (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) placed 25th, crossing the line in 27:52.

Sophomore Chris Rizzo (Attleboro, Mass./Bishop Feehan) equaled his Duquesne Duals time from a year ago, 28:02, en route to a 29th place finish. Senior Dan Carmody (San Diego, Calif./Thomas Jefferson) took 31st overall with a time of 28:06. Junior Raphael Bertrand (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) finished fifth on the team and 35th overall in 28:14.

A pair of freshmen took sixth and seventh on the team, as Jonathan Matusky (Ardmore, Pa./Haverford) finished 42nd in 28:39 and Erik Kallenbach (Powell, Ohio/Olentangy) placed 43rd in 28:40.

Senior Doug Fricker (West Lafayette, IN) was next on the team in 48th place (28:55). Sophomore Josh Finkle (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) crossed the line in 29:16 (53rd overall), senior Dan Gordon (Short Hills, N.J./Millburn) finished in 29:26 (54th), and junior Taka Matsuura (Tokyo, Japan/St. Paul's) ran the course in 29:38 (57th).

The men’s cross country team will race again on September 15 at the IUP Invitational in Indiana, Pa.