Catholic University did not run on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at the Paul Short Run at Lehigh University. The meet was canceled partway through; four of ten races were run. The weather was poor, with temperatures nearing 90 degress Faherhight. Of note, the meet attracted almost three thousand athletes. Many were disappointed.
Catholic University was primed to be led again by its youngsters, pointing to a bright future. On the men’s side, Adian Malloy; on the women’s side, sophomore Olivia Sobkowicz. Great things are indeed in the future for the Cardinals. Do you think they will be hit by transfers out of the program?
Catholic University Cross Country at the Paul Short Run
Catholic University did not run in the Paul Short Run at Lehigh University due to the heat. The meet was canceled after four of ten scheduled races. The almost three thousand college athletes scheduled to run in the races must have been disappointed. Since there were four races run, this article will describe those; there were some unusual results, maybe because of the weather conditions.
Men’s Results at the Paul Short Run
The Catholic University men were scheduled to run in the fifth and sixth races when the meet was canceled after four. Scheduled to run for the Cardinals were freshman Kyle Beaber, sophomore Tim Brown, senior Richard Harrington, sophomore Matt Haugh, junior Kamran Jagadesan, freshman Quinn Langan, senior Joseph Locke, freshman Aidan Malloy, freshman Matthew Montgomery, and junior Patrick Morris.
There were four races run, two men’s races. In the first men’s race, the men’s open eight-kilometer race, an unattached runner named Sean Kennedy-Wonneberger won in a time of 24:48. He beat two runners from Wingate, Emanuele Ferrari and Matthew Brunnock. They finished two seconds apart and six seconds behind the winner. Of note in this race, Joseph Deledonne, a freshman from the Naval Academy, was in first place through two miles, but faded and did not finish.
The other men’s race was the “gold” eight-kilometer race. That race was won by Nick Sloff, a junior from Penn State. Interestingly, he was in third place as late as the third mile and was in second place after four miles. He won in a time of 23:59. Matthew Meli from Charleston (West Virginia) was second, finishing two seconds behind the winner. In third place, Nicolas Mazzano from Penn finished in a time of 24:03. Both Meli and Mazzano are freshmen.
Women’s Results at the Paul Short Run
The Catholic University women were scheduled to run in the fifth and sixth races when the meet was canceled after four. They were set to be represented by freshman Saffron Blume
sophomore Bridgid Cavanaugh, Sophomore Isabel Doran, freshman Gianna Frey, senior Alexa Grassi, junior Catherine Lorelle, senior Laurel McMahon, freshman Claire Oglesby, sophomore Erin Roche, and sophomore Olivia Sobkowicz.
Like the men, two races were run for the women. The first race was the women’s open six-kilometer race. That race was won by Emily Reid, a freshman from Penn, in a time of 21:08. She led at the three-mile mark after being in sixth place before. Kylee Cubbison from Juniata Valley was second, seven seconds behind. Helene Usher, a senior from La Salle, was third, 11 seconds back.
The other women’s race was the women’s six-kilometer “gold” race. This race was won by Maureen Cheruiyot, a sophomore from Pittsburgh. Two Louisiana State runners finished in second and third place. Edna Chepkemoi, a sophomore, was second. Abigael Chemnagei, another sophomore, was third. It is a shame the women from Catholic University did not get to compete against these athletes; they would have done well.
Conclusion
Next for the Cardinals is the Aubrey Shenk Invitational in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. After this meet, the run includes the Landmark Conference Championships (Oct. 31), the NCAA Regional Championships (Nov. 14), and the NCAA Championships in Charlottesville, Virginia (Nov. 21). The NCAA Championship is in Northfield, Minnesota.
