The New York University men's and women's cross country teams made the trek to Bethelem, PA, for the annual Paul Short Run, hosted by Lehigh University on Oct. 2. The teams were scheduled to compete in the morning Open Race, with top competitors set for the White Race to end the day. 

After the penultimate Green Races, Lehigh canceled the men's and women's White Races due to heat concerns.

"I was really encouraged by the races by our younger runners in the Open Race," said Head Coach Tyler Deck Shipley. "Lehigh made the decision it was not safe to run the White Race, but we look forward to competing again soon."

The #4-ranked men's team ran nine athletes in the event, with the top 5 runners finishing 10th, 48th, 92th, 115th and 134th overall. 586 runners completed the course (there was no team scoring), and the Violets placed seven runners in the top half.

Edomias Mulugeta was the team's lead runner, placing 10th with a time of 25:15.6 in his first competitive 8k race. He was followed by James Jenkins (48th) and Jacob Christy (92nd), who finished their races with times of 26:01.3 and 26.29.6 respectively. The three runners were followed by Daniel Escribano (26:44.4) and Greg Borden (26:53.9).

The top-ranked women's group ran strong in the Open Race as well. Freshman Shania Tandon was the team's lead runner, strongly concluding her first race with the Violets at 74th with a time of 23:10.8. She was followed by Abigail Oglevee at 115th with a time of 23:46.4, and Kate Carnes at 139th with a time of 24:04.3. Abigail Sanderson placed 165th with a time of 24:17.9, finishing off the team's overall strong performance at the event.

Both teams are next scheduled to compete at the Rowan Border Battle, hosted by Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. The event is set to take place on Saturday, October 17.