SMC XC Kicks Off Season with the 2023 EyeOpener Invitational
The Pioneers kicked off the 2023 season at the EyeOpener Invitational in Spartanburg, SC. The Pioneer women were led by Freshman Averi Vance in 22:57 followed by Sophmore’s Mariela Velazquez and Alondra Velazquez in 24:13 and 24:25 respectively. Averi went out aggressive and put together a strong race on the tough Milliken course. Mariela and Alondra worked together for much of the race and shared great leadership for the emerging women’s program. The women’s team had 3 lifetime bests and a team average of 24:42. The men debuted a lineup of all Freshman led by Luke Kochanowicz in a time of 30:01.9. Luke was followed by his teammates Seth Mullen (31:31) and Ryan Hunter (32:35). Mullen and Hunter each stormed down the finishing stretch to blazing times in their first ever college races. The men’s team finished with a team average 31:53, a very respectable opener for the 2023 season. The Pioneers will look to continue this momentum at the Queen City Invite in Charlotte, NC on September 15th.
