PARKER GURNETT
Special to The Leader
Fredonia came out in strong force in honor of former Blue Devils cross country and track runner, Kara Hall.
On Saturday, Sept. 30, Fredonia hosted the second annual Kara Hall Memorial Invite.
This year, Fredonia hosted the meet later than in the past, pushing it to the last weekend in September this year, rather than the first weekend in September in years past.
Both the men’s and women’s teams were in action kicking their races off at 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. respectively.
The teams both performed in extremely high spirits knowing what this race meant to the program as a whole.
Ring Road was blocked off from University Parkway/Symphony Circle to Lake Way Drive during the invite to ensure there was no risk of traffic interfering with the race. University Police, along with members from the athletic department, helped keep them blocked off.
Seven schools participated in the invite: Fredonia, Oneota, Geneseo, Brockport, Oswego, Alfred State and Buffalo State.
The men’s 8k race started at approximately 11 a.m.
The team stayed as a pack for the first two legs of the race. On the third leg, senior Sembel Koshi started to pull away.
Koshi ended up finishing the race ninth overall.
Koshi was followed by Kyle Campbell and Josh Walters who finished in 13th and 16th places overall respectively as the top three finishers for Fredonia. The team would finish in fourth overall.
Following the conclusion of the men’s race, the women’s race would begin at 12 p.m.
The women’s team put up a good fight as well during their race.
They ran a group style at first as well.
Their top three finishers were Arden Brown, Elizabeth Gloss and Alexandra Battaglia who finished in 24th, 26th and 27th respectively.
The women’s team would end up finishing fifth overall.
The memorial invite marks one of the biggest invites Fredonia has hosted in recent memory.
“Today’s meet meant a lot because it brought former and current Blue Devils together to honor a former Blue Devil who passed … Being a part of that was electric,” said Campbell. “It brought unity amongst teams who competed.”
In years past when Fredonia has hosted them they have been early in the season with only three to four schools attending.
It gained a lot more traction this season pushing it later into the season.
This invite is not only a great way to honor Hall, who was tragically lost so young, but it is also good for Fredonia athletics.
This invite can only continue to grow in the future and become bigger and better.
The invite doubled in size from last year to this year so if it can double again next year that would be huge for the Fredonia running program, but also Fredonia athletics as well.
“Kara was what Fredonia athletics are all about,” said coach Tom Wilson. “[She] meant a lot to the team and her legacy will not be forgotten.”
The Oneota women’s team could be seen with “Run 4 Kara” painted on their legs.
SUNY Oneonta’s associate coach, Kelly Vincent, was a 2017 graduate of Fredonia and a teammate of Kara’s.
Many alumni to the cross country and track and field programs were in attendance today at the race.
