SAINTS FINISH STRONG AT NCAA CROSS COUNTRY REGIONAL

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Emmanuel College sent seven men and seven women to compete in the 2012 Division III New England Cross Country Regional on Saturday afternoon.  The NCAA Regional Championship, which included powerhouse programs from across New England, was hosted by Westfield State University and held at Stanley Park on November 10th.  The Emmanuel men finished 33rd out of 50 competing teams, while the Emmanuel women ran 38th out of 51 programs.

On the men's side, Middlebury scored 91 points to nudge Bowdoin (101), Bates (105), Williams (113) and Tufts (114) for the team title. The top two teams automatically advance to the NCAA national championships and the other three squads are strong contenders to earn national berths.  Senior Jack Davies placed a close third with a time of 24:51.56 on the 8,000-meter course to lead Middlebury. Davies was edged in an exciting finish by the Bowdoin junior tandem of Coby Horowitz (24:51.36) and Samuel Seekins (24:51.45).

Nate Sans and Patrick Hebble placed 18th and 19th, respectively, for Middlebury, while their teammates Kevin Wood (25th) and Greg Krathwohol (26th) rounded out the scoring and earned All-New England honors by placing in the top 35.

Middlebury's depth up front was key as Bowdoin's third thru fifth runners finished 20th, 37th, and 41st. Bates placed four runners in the top 23 and five in the top 32, but its top individual was Mike Martin, who placed 12th in 25:11.21.

Emmanuel, which raced to a 33rd place team finish, defeated GNAC rival and 2012 conference champs, Norwich University (35th).  The Saints finished second among the competing GNAC programs, edged by just Johnson & Wales University (31st). Emmanuel's five scorers all crossed the finish line within 39 seconds of each other.

Junior Nate Bruno (Lenox, Mass.) led the way for the Saints, placing 196th out of the field of 351 total runners.  Bruno finished the 8k race in 28:42.  Senior Abdi Ibrahim (East Boston, Mass.) and sophomore Christopher Connelly (Quincy, Mass.) finished a close second and third for the Saints with times of 28:58 and 29 minutes flat. Junior Michael Morris (Stoughton, Mass.) and sophomore Brian Collins (Hull, Mass.) rounded out the scoring for the Emmanuel men, both finishing in 29:21.  Pat Callan (Pawling, N.Y.) and Chris Baker (Holden, Mass.) placed 6th and 7th for the Saints with times of 29:47 and 29:50, respectively.

In the women's 6k, the top-ranked team nationally, MIT,  placed four runners in the top 12 to capture the New England Division III Regional Championship.  MIT scored 58 points, followed by NESCAC rivals Williams (75) and Middlebury (89). Bates finished fourth with 145 points and Amherst was fifth with 190 points.

MIT and Williams teams earned automatic berths to next Saturday's NCAA national championships and Middlebury, Bates and Amherst are strong contenders to receive invitations to the NCAA meet.  MIT was led by Elaine McVay (5th, 21:43.53), Brooke Johnson (8th, 21:48.09), Nicole Zeinstra (10th, 22:00.08), and Katilin Allen (12th, 22:04.09.). Martina de Geus also earned All-New England honors for MIT by placing 23rd.

Senior Keri Lambert of Amherst College crossed the finish line first in 20:48.94 on the 6,000 meters course. Middlebury's Addie Tousley (21:07.13) finished second followed by Williams' Kaleigh Kenny (21:29.91) and Adrienne Straight (21:38.10).  MIT's strength up front was too much as Williams' third best runner – Brianne Mirecki - placed 17th and Middlebury's second best runner – Lucy Whipps - finished 13th.

Emmanuel's 38th place team finish put the Saints in 3rd among their GNAC competitors, falling short of Saint Joseph's College - Maine (27th) and Johnson & Wales University (31st).  The Saints were led by senior Joslyn DelSignore (Taunton, Mass.), who ran 189th out of the field of 367 women.  DelSignore completed the 6k race in 25:19, cutting 22 seconds off her 2011 NCAA regional time.

Junior Molly Metivier (Keene, N.H.) ran second for Emmanuel, finishing in 25:37, almost a minute quicker than her NCAA time as a sophomore. Freshman Chloe Egan (Burlington, Vt.) placed 3rd for the Saints with her time of 25:59. The rookie tandem of Janelle Winship (Prospect, Me.) and Julie Roberts (Williamsburg, Mass.) ran one second apart, finishing in 26:21 and 26:22, respectively, to round out the top five for Emmanuel.  The Saints' 6th and 7th runners were junior Danielle Martin (York, Me.), who ran 26:23 and junior Meaghan Mauer (South Hadley, Mass.), who came in at 26:29 and cut a minute off her time from last season.

The Saints wrapped up the 2012 season with the NCAA Regional Championship. Most of the Emmanuel squad will now gear up for the indoor track & field season, which begins with Northeastern University's Jay Carsella Invitational on Saturday, December 1st.