Elizabethtown senior Samuel Gerstenbacher placed second out of nearly 100 runners in the Light up the Night Invite at Dickinson University, less than two seconds behind Dickinson’s Bryce Descavish.
Gerstenbacher, a Schlick graduate, covered the 5,000-meter course in Carlisle, Pa., in 15:52.2. Descavish ran 15:50. No other runners were under 16 minutes.
Elizabethtown did win the team title by three points over Dickinson, going 2-5-6-13-14-15, for a 40-43 win with their sixth runner displacing Dickinson’s fifth.
Gerstenbacher was named Landmark Conference Athlete of the Week for his performance.
Gerstenbacher is a two-time Landmark Conference XC champion. In the spring he ran the steeplechase in 9:00.21 and raced in the NCAA Division 3 championships.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 