Nov 08 - Cross Country
Saint Michael's
NCAA Regional Championship
W: 11th of 30, M: 17th of 30

Recap

 

 


 
 

Men's and Women's Cross Country

October 22, 2009

Saint Michael's To Host NE-10 Cross Country Championship On Sunday


COLCHESTER, Vt. - Saint Michael's College will welcome more than 350 runners from 15 of its closest rivals on Sunday as the Purple Knights host the 29th Annual Northeast-10 Conference Cross Country Championship on campus.

The competition begins at 10 a.m., as 15 men's teams will run the College's eight-kilometer course. At 11 a.m., 16 women's squads will compete in the NE-10's five-kilometer run.

This marks the second straight year that Saint Michael's has hosted the NE-10 Cross Country Championship. Saint Michael's also hosted the event on campus in 2004 and 1988, and hosted the event at the Catamount Outdoor Center in nearby Williston in 1993 and 1997.

Last year, both the University of Massachusetts Lowell men's and women's teams claimed the championship titles. It marked the third straight championship for the River Hawks' men's squad, and the first title for UMass Lowell's women's team since 2005.

This season, the UMass Lowell men are again favored to win the title, as the River Hawks received 10 out of 15 first-place votes in the NE-10 Championship Coaches' Poll taken prior to the start of the season. Currently eight in the NCAA Division II national rankings, UMass Lowell also won the New England Championship on Oct. 10 at Boston's Franklin Park, winning a competition featuring schools from all three NCAA divisions. Stonehill College (ranked 10th nationally) and Southern Connecticut State University are UMass Lowell's top expected challengers on the men's side.

For the women, Stonehill has been tabbed the favorite, as the Skyhawks' women earned 10 of 16 first-place votes in the NE-10 Championship Coaches' Poll. UMass Lowell (five first-place votes) should also be in the mix in its hopes of winning a second straight championship, while conference-newcomer Adelphi University is also expected to finish high.

Individually, the favorite to win the men's crown is American International College first-year Glarius Rop (Eldoret, Kenya), who won the New England Championship earlier this month with an 8K time of 24:22. UMass Lowell junior Angus MacDonald (Methuen, Mass.) and senior Timothy Guerin (Auburn, Mass.), Stonehill juniors Pat Fullerton (Bradford, Mass.) and Daniel Pilz (Newington, Conn.), and Southern Connecticut junior Joseph Poulsen (Oxford, Conn.) are expected to push Rop for the individual title.

On the women's side, Southern Connecticut senior Laura Brustolon (Mystic, Conn.), who placed fourth overall in the New England Championship two weeks ago with a 5K time of 18:08, is the favorite to win Sunday's race. UMass Lowell junior Lyra Clark (Nashua, N.H.) and freshman Kelly Walton (Nahant, Mass.), Stonehill freshman Kristen Veit (Easthampton, Mass.), Le Moyne College sophomore Gina Micaroni (Blossvale, N.Y.), and AIC sophomore Julie Collignon (Orvault, France) should challenge Brustolon for the championship.

For host Saint Michael's, the Purple Knights' men were picked to finish in 11th place in the NE-10 Championship Coaches' Poll, and placed 10th in last year's race. The Saint Michael's women, meanwhile, were chosen to finish 10th in the NE-10 Championship Coaches' Poll, and finished ninth last year. Top runners for Saint Michael's are seniors Jessica Edwards (Lyndonville, Vt./Lyndon Institute) and Lauren Fereshetian (Turner, Maine/Leavitt Area) on the women's side, and sophomores Matt Smith (Winchester, Mass./Winchester/Muhlenberg) and Michael Cardillo (Middleton, Mass./Masconomet Regional) for the men.

For more information on the 2009 NE-10 Cross Country Championship, including course maps and the official championship guide, visit http://www.smcathletics.com/sports/xc/2009/2009_ne10xcchamp.

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