Moon, PA- The inaugural season for RMU Club Track and Cross Country was a successful one. Countless personal records were broken in a variety of events, and the amount of growth the team saw from the start of the fall semester to when the season was cut off in the spring was enormous. 

The year started great with the announcement that Club Track/XC would be partnering with P3R, the same organization that puts on the Pittsburgh Marathon. They helped provide equipment and coaching for club members, and were a huge help for RMU Club Track/XC getting off the ground. The foundation for the club was set in Spring 2019, and the student leadership of the group put together a great plan for competing this year. Tyler Slaney, Jay Olu-Wehuje, and Vincent Capozzolo were the student leaders for the inaugural season. 

Cross Country kicked off the season in the Fall with 5 events, starting with the Bethany Invitational. Sophomore captain Tyler Slaney set the starting club record in the Men's 8,000m  with a 29:28 time, finishing 64th in a field of 221. He would break his own record a week later, and holds the current record of 27:29.90. Sophomore Abby Staman set the club record in the Women's 6,000m with a time of 31:17. 

During the cross country season, runners who competed in at least 2 events saw their times drop significantly throughout the season. In the final race of the season, Junior Jared Famiglietti improved his time by over two and a half minutes (31:21) from his opening mark of the season (33:59). Freshman Evan Basista also saw massive improvement, going from a 43:18 in season opener to a 39:53 in the final one, an improvement of nearly three and a half minutes. 

When the indoor track season began in january, a host of new records were set and broken for the club. The club competed in 4 events through January and February, and set club records for 8 events. Jay Olu-Wehuje set club records in the 60m sprint (07.79), 200m (25.33), Long Jump (18', 3.75"), and Triple Jump (39', 3.65"). Tyler Slaney set records for the 800m (2:16.45), Mile run (4:52.64), and 3000m (9:51.19). Finally, Jared Famiglietti scored a club record in the 5000m (18:22.13).

Next season both Track and Cross Country will look to for stronger team finishes. The club had some breakout individual members in their first season, but elevating the program as a whole will be the focus in year two.

Alexander Gagnon '21
Club Sport Information Director