Sports briefly: Cross country, Men's and women's tennis

Cross Country
After strong performances at the Toledo Bubble Burster and the Paul Short Invitational, the men’s and women’s cross country teams hope to build upon their successes at the Metropolitan Championships at Van Cortlandt Park on Friday. The men’s team is now ranked at 18 in the NCAA Division I Coaches’ Poll, the first time they’ve appeared in the rankings since 1998. On the women’s side, juniors Caroline McDonough and Clare Buck led the team last week with top-ten finishes. The Lions look to defend their titles, with the men looking for their fourth straight title after winning the last 11 out of 13 and the women looking for their 14th straight title.

Men's Tennis
The Columbia men’s tennis team faces two overlapping challenges, one in Tulsa, Okla., and the other much closer by, on its own home turf at the Dick Savitt Tennis Center this weekend. The All-American tournament, having already started yesterday (Thursday, Oct. 06), will test the team’s strength and resilience up until Sunday, Oct. 9, while the Columbia Classics, played on the familiar blue courts, will keep the other members focused on holding on to the championship cup at the Lions’ den from today (Friday, Oct. 7) to Sunday Oct. 9. For the team, which has had a series of successful matches, the tournaments will be a sound preview of its Ivy League tournament coming up soon.

Women's Tennis
This Columbus Day weekend, the women’s tennis team will compete in Flushing Meadows. The NTC Invitational will be held from Saturday to Monday. This is one of the last invitationals of the fall season before conference play begins.