Finishing with 130 runners behind you is a great feeling in a field of 200. But finishing with 130 runners behind you in a field of only 134 is even better.

Katie Radzik finished fourth at the Lafayette Invitational this weekend and ran a time of 20:37, leading the Bearcats to a sixth place finish on the 6000-meter course.

Bearcat freshman Kelda Nelson also finished extremely well, placing 16th out 134 runners. Senior Mary Tursi, competing in one of her last races for Binghamton, placed 46th.

On the men’s side, freshman Chris Gaube continued his strong running as the team’s leader, placing 28th out of 130 runners. His time on the 8000-meter course was 26:40. A graduate from Vestal High, Gaube has led the Bearcats in each and every race this season.

Coach Annette Acuff expected Gaube to be in the thick of things this season.

“Considering his success in high school, I was expecting him to be at least top three for our team,” Acuff said. “But I think his consistency these three races as our front-runner is not a surprise considering his talent.”

The weekend was a big one for the Gaube family, as Chris’s father Jerry was inducted into the BU Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday night.

Gaube was followed by teammate Craig Coon, who had a 41st place finish and a time of 27:08. The Bearcats finished in eighth place this weekend, with seniors Ben Hebdon and Jeff Herbert, placing 52nd and 54th respectively, highlighting a strengthening Binghamton squad.

Since the beginning of the season coach Acuff has watched her teams progress steadily.

“It’s been great improvement for both teams,” Acuff said. “I had been expecting a great performance from both teams at Lafayette, after two tough meets and a lot of hard training.”

With the season winding down and the American East championship two weeks away, both teams look to improve on their showing last season.

“I’m just looking to improve on last year’s performance,” Acuff said. “That’s our No. 1 goal. We have more depth and strength as a program than last year. I think both sides can definitely end up in the middle of the pack.”