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Elizabeth Tauber leads the Patriots

BY BILL BLEWETT

Posted 11/04/09

Elizabeth Tauber made winning look easy, and her John Carroll team made it look not so easy in the IAAM Cross-Country Championships in Timonium Oct. 28.

Tauber defended her title on the Oregon Ridge course in a performance remarkably similar to last year’s. She emerged from an escort of three McDonogh runners to pull steadily away, finishing 100 meters ahead of second place in 19:26.

Except for the mud, it was déjà vu for Tauber. Last year, she won with the same clocking, 19:26, with McDonogh’s Jo Baird and Madeline Dulac 100 meters behind her. Both were 100 meters behind her this year, along McDonogh’s Lauren Egan in third place.

McDonogh took places 2, 3, and 4, and appeared headed for victory when its fourth runner entered the chute in 11th place. But John Carroll’s fifth runner, Sara Stifler, finished four places ahead of McDonogh’s fifth to secure the win for the Patriots, 33 to 36.

Stifler lost one of her shoes in the mud one mile into the race. Her half-traction running had the potential to derail the Patriots’ bid for the team title on the muddy course, but Stifler managed a 12th place finish to seal the victory.

John Carroll got a fifth-place finish from Katelynn Colgain. The senior, who sat out the last two seasons after helping the Patriots win the title in 2006, ran 20:11.

Sophomore Taylor Battaglia finished one place behind Colgain in 21:05, and freshman Rebecca Driver ran her best race of the season, finishing ninth in 21:22.

Amanda Hudak placed 29th in 23:00 for the Patriots, and Shannon Vinton was 43rd in 24:15 as the No. 7 runner.

The Patriots last won both IAAM titles in 2006 when Erika Stasakova and Nicole Clarke finished 1-2, and the team won with 32 points.