On Nov. 1 at Franklin Park in Boston the St. John’s men’s and women’s cross country teams competed at the Big East Championships.

Up against some of the best teams in the nation, the Red Storm would hold their own.

Five of the Big East’s men’s teams, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Providence, Boston College and Villanova, who won the title, hold Top 25 national rankings.

The Johnnies men’s team would finish 10th, improving on their 12th place finish a year ago. The women’s team finished 14th with many of the girls running the 6000 meter distance for the first time.

All nine of the Red Storm’s male runners would set new personal best times.

This was highlighted by freshman Brendan Sullivan, who finished 36th out of 116 runners, posting a time of 25:21.

“He just goes out and runs hard and is very consistent,” St. John’s Head Coach Jim Hurt said. “Brendan showed we have one of the best runners in the Big East.”

“All I know is I ran as hard as I could that day and just did my best,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan, known for coming through in the big race, did not disappoint in his first Big East Championship.

“The bigger the race the more I think about it during the race,” Sullivan said. “I think about certain points in which I should pick it up or pass people. “

He noted the downhill portions of a course as being the place for him to pass the most runners.

Along with Sullivan, juniors Sean Tremblay and Greg Mason would clock their best times of the fall season finishing seconds apart with times of 26:01 and 26:04 respectively.

“I was happy with the performance of our kids,” Hurt said. “No one got intimidated.”

While the women’s team did not fair as well as the men, the team is still young and can use this meet as a learning experience.

“The girls didn’t run as well as they were capable, they lost a little of their poise,” Hurt said. “The youngness of our team showed, but this can happen and has to happen for them to get experience.”

Sophomore Tessa Woodruff was the women’s top finisher placing 92nd with a time of 24:19.

“The Big East is one of the best conferences in the NCAA,” Woodruff said, “so even if we train hard the conference will always be really competitive.

“All the work that you do in terms of training is already done, so the main thing is to rest up and get ready for it.”

Freshman Jasmine Barreto would also run a strong race, posting a time of 25:16.

Both the men’s and women’s teams next meet will be at the NCAA Northeast Regional which takes place Nov. 16 at Van Cortland Park in the Bronx.