When the starting guns erupted and a mass of collegiate runners began the quest for conference supremacy, the rumble of their motoring legs filled the air. That thunder was quickly subdued, however, by rambunctious roars from a crowd that could have filled the tables of Alliot twice over. Senior associate athletic director Zaf Bludevich says this contest was arguably the biggest in recent memory at St. Michael’s.
Two-hundred-sixty-four cross country runners set the campus abuzz as the men’s and women’s teams hosted the 2008 Northeast-10 Conference Championships on Saturday, Oct. 25.
The University of Massachusetts Lowell Riverhawks swept the 15 team competitions, while the St. Michael’s women placed ninth and the men 10th.
UMass Lowell runs away
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Senior Matt Alexander placed 70th in the race.
(Photo by Megan Davin) |
UMass Lowell senior Ruben Sanca won the men’s 8K race with a time of 24:33.
“This was my fastest time this year,” Sanca says. “I was just trying to help my teammates by running a little faster.”
Sanca’s sub-five-minute-mile splits propelled the Riverhawks to the team crown as they placed three runners in the top five, and four in the top 10.
The Stonehill men’s team placed second, and Southern Connecticut State University third.
St. Michael’s top harriers were Michael Cardillo and Matt Alexander who finished in 28:11 and 28:26 respectively, good enough for 64th and 70th place out of the 125 member field.
“I felt pretty strong,” says Alexander, a senior captain, “a little bit slower than last weekend but I’m pleased with the effort.”
The time and effort put in throughout the fall season and a healthy competition among team members was essential to Saturday morning’s strong performance, Coach Joe Connelly says.
“It’s not about guys who are cut-throat to be the best runner on this team, but to be the best runner they can be,” Connelly says. “They are bringing each other up with that attitude.”
On the women’s side, St. Michael’s senior Mary Lynn Denholm finished eighth with a time of 18:57.
Both Denholm and coach Molly Peters were excited about the performance of the team.
“I think everyone had a good day; we all ran really strong,” Denholm, who had been battling some nagging injuries before the race, says.
It was the women from UMass Lowell who lit up the trails to sneak past perennial powerhouse Stonehill by five points for the title.
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Sophomore Brian Ahearn poses for the camera during the race.
(Photo by Megan Davin) |
Melissa Nash, a senior from Bentley College, claimed the individual crown completing the 5K course in 18:19. She edged out Christina Dalomba from UMass Lowell who finished second in 18:30, while her teammate Sarah Brassard finished third in 18:38.
Nothing like home cooking
It was about a year ago in January that St. Michael’s found out that they were going to host the NE-10 championships, Bludevich says.
Le Moyne College, the original host of the event, could not accommodate the event because of construction restrictions on their campus, Connelly says. There aren’t a lot of schools that can support an event of this magnitude, he adds.
Having the event at home was especially important to the Purple Knights who got a welcomed reprieve from three-hour bus trips and an added bonus of a night’s sleep on campus, Cardillo says.
“There is definitely a familiarity when you know your routine and you don’t have to blow the day before traveling,” Connelly says. “It was just a normal Friday, normal day of classes and of training.”
The added sense of comfort running on familiar terrain along with support from the campus community created an intensity that has otherwise been absent from races this year. The combination, runners and coaches say, created a very special day on campus.
“It was great to have a decent sized crowd for once,” Alexander says, “that really helped.”
Regionals: here we come
As the conference season came to a close, coaches and runners alike are looking forward to the NCAA Regionals on Nov. 9 at Franklin Park, in Boston, Mass.
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Senior Mary Lynn Denholm, left, was named to the NE-10 weekly honor roll after the championships.
(Photo by Megan Davin) |
After Denholm’s eighth-place finish at these conference championships, earning her second team all-conference honors, she says she will be training hard for the regional championships.
“We are hoping for top five which would qualify her for nationals,” coach Peters says. “She finished 12th last year so anything better than that would be great.”
Connelly adds that there is a supreme selectiveness when it comes to being able to run at nationals, something that has eluded the St. Michael’s cross country program.
“It’s only the top two teams and the top two individuals not on those teams that qualify,” he says. “We have had one runner in our history go, and no women go.
Nash and Sanca both have lofty goals and high expectations for the November contests.
The Bentley senior says that her training since June has paid off and now she has her mind set on bigger glories.
“I’m hoping I can win there too and move on to nationals,” Nash says.
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