Cross country teams finish second at JMU

The GW men’s and women’s cross country teams both finished second overall at the James Madison Invitational last Saturday in Harrisonburg, Va. Senior Dave Azari and freshman Bridget Skeuse were the top finishers for the Colonials, placing second and fourth, respectively.

Azari pounded through the 8K course in 25:53.50, neck in neck with race winner Ted Herbert (25:50.50) of James Madison. Senior Darrell Andruski clocked in at 26:14.50, finishing fifth, followed by freshman standouts Ryan Shaver and Daniel Morgan in 13th and 19th places, respectively.

“The freshmen are all very competitive,” said Azari, the GW men’s team captain. “That attitude keeps them working their way closer to the top freshmen and creating a very strong team.”

The men finished with a total of 45 points, placing them second behind James Madison’s 21 points.

The women finished in a tight pack led by Skeuse, who came in fourth overall in the 5K race with a time of 20:28.30. She was followed by four runners who usually run close together – junior Trina Bolton (20:40.60), senior Emily Jadwin (20:58.40), junior Erin Patton (21:16.30) and sophomore Meghan Dunn (21:31.60). The four came in sixth, ninth, 10th, and 14th places, respectively, compiling a total of 42 points to help GW finish behind James Madison’s 18 points.

The Colonials will host their home invitational at Bull Run Park in Centreville, Va., next Saturday at 10 a.m.
–Heather Struck

Men’s water polo beats Bucknell for first time since 1999

The GW men’s water polo team beat the school it regards as its biggest rival on Sunday, defeating Bucknell University, 10-7.

The Colonials mounted a balanced offensive attack and a stifling late-game defense that helped preserve the lead. GW was led by seniors Patrick Dodge and Srdan Radnic, along with freshman Anthony Guadagni, all of whom netted two goals each.

The game was a tale of two halves for GW. The first half was highlighted by back-and-forth play, with the Colonials and Bison exchanging goals that ended in GW leading 7-6 at halftime.

In the second half, the first goal went to Bucknell, which tied the game at 7-7, but it was all GW after that. The Colonials scored three unanswered goals and held Bucknell scoreless the rest of the way to get the win.

Earlier in the day, Bucknell played No. 13 Princeton and lost 17-6. Some fatigue from that tough matchup may have been a factor in Bucknell’s poor second half.

Senior driver Jason Grimes said the second-half surge was more about the Colonials’ effort and a desire to “step up play and take control of the game.” That included the need to “make Bucknell play our game,” which started with containing the ball on defense.

This was the Colonials’ first win over Bucknell since 1999. It should be a big confidence booster as they seek a berth in the conference championships this year.

Grimes said that beating Bucknell is a “pretty important step. It shows we are able to execute against the tougher teams.”

The Colonials play next weekend in Providence, R.I., at the ECAC Championships.
–Subir Grewal

Isabel washes out rowing, water polo events

Hurricane Isabel forced the cancellation of two home events for GW last weekend. The Head of the Potomac rowing competition, which was scheduled for Saturday, and the men’s water polo team’s match against Princeton University Friday night were both canceled. No makeup dates have been announced.
–Brian Costa