SAINTS POST STRONG SHOWING AT ECAC CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

BRISTOL, R.I. – Emmanuel College was represented by 10 student athletes, who competed in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Cross Country Championships on Saturday morning.  The Emmanuel men ran seven athletes, with four turning in personal best times, as the Saints placed 31st of the 46 competing teams.  Just three Saints ran in the women's race with two running PR times.

The Williams College captured its eighth ECAC men's cross country championship in nine years with a strong performance at Colt State Park.  The Ephs won the 2013 Championship with a combined score of 26 points. Williams junior Cole Townsend (Buffalo, N.Y.) was the individual champion, finishing the 8,000 meter course in 25:43, eight seconds ahead of sophomore teammate Todd Ford (Glenview, Ill./25:51).

The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) took the top-five positions in the team championship. Tufts University finished in second-place with 75 points, followed by 2012 ECAC Division III Men's Cross Country Champion Amherst College in third-place with 84 points. The Colby College Mules combined for 141 points, good enough for fourth-place and Middlebury College completed the top-five with 175 points.

The Ephs had four student-athletes finish in the top-ten of the individual competition, including the top three runners. Williams sophomore Kieran Scannell (Grand Marais, Minn.) came in right behind Townsend and Ford in third-place, with a time of 26:00. Freshman teammate David Folsom (Hampton, N.J.) ran the race in 26:11, finishing in seventh-place.

Tufts was the only other institution to place multiple runners within the first ten finishers. Junior Marshall Pagano (Niskayuna, N.Y.) was the first Jumbo to cross the finish line, coming in fourth with a time of 26:02. Classmates Greg Hardy (Barnstable, Mass./26:17) and Colin McCrory (Southbury, Conn./26:22) finished eighth and tenth, respectively.

Completing the top-ten men's individual finishers in the 2013 ECAC Division III Cross Country Championship were St. Joseph's College Long Island senior Brian Wersan (Holbrook, N.Y./26:07) in fifth-place, Trinity College sophomore Patrick Hoagland (San Diego, Calif./26:10) in sixth-place and Amherst College senior Gus Greenstein (Santa Rosa, Calif./26:20) in ninth-place.

Leading the Saints was senior Chris Baker (Holden, Mass.), who raced to a 28:47 finish.  Sophomores Corey Hebert (Acushnet, Mass.) and Thomas Tallo (Lincoln, R.I.) ran second and third for the Saints with personal best times of 29:48 and 29:49, respectively.  Rookie Nick Rosenau (Fairfield, Conn.) was the fourth runner to cross the line for the Saints with his PR time of 30:07.  Sophomore Craig Schoaf (Raynham, Mass.) rounded out the top-five scoring with his personal record time of 30:29.  Senior captain Michael Morris (Stoughton, Mass.) completed the 8k in 31:18, while junior Dana Murphy (Dennisport, Mass.) ran a 32:27 race for Saints.

Complete ECAC Men's Results

Middlebury College won its fifth consecutive ECAC women's cross championship. The Panthers finished with a combined team score of 30 points to claim the 2013 title. Middlebury freshman Catie Skinner (Philadelphia, Pa.) was the individual champion in her first ECAC Cross Country Championship, completing the 6,000-meter course in 22:30, ten seconds ahead of her closest competitor. Williams College claimed second-place with 54 points and Tufts University finished third with 111 points. Also finishing in the top-five of the team competition was Amherst College in fourth-place (164) and Wellesley College in fifth-place (199), respectively.

The Panthers placed four runners in the top-ten of the individual race. Joining Skinner was senior Emily Atwood (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/22:40) in second-place, freshman Emma DeCamp (Washington, D.C./22:57) in fifth and senior Lottie Hedden (Washington, D.C./23:03) in tenth. Purchase College sophomore Katherine Henri (Staten Island, N.Y.) crossed the finish line with a time of 22:46, good enough for third overall. Williams College senior Louisa Lee (Short Hills, N.J.) finished right behind Henri in fourth, posting a time of 22:55 in her final ECAC Championship race.

Rounding out the top-ten individual finishers were Husson College junior Chrissy Larrabee (Brooks, Maine/22:58) in sixth, Williams College junior Anna Spiers (Chester, Va./23:00) in seventh, Spiers' teammate junior Amelia Ortiz (Eagle, Colo./23:02.07) in eighth and Amherst senior Lisa Walker (Louisville, Colo./23:02.66) in ninth.

Leading the Emmanuel women was sophomore Sarah Barnard (Hopkinton, N.H.), who raced to a personal best time of 27:28 in the 6k race.  Senior Fallon Greer (Mashpee, Mass.) ran her 6k PR of 29:00.  Senior captain Danielle Martin (York, Me.) finished the course in 30:43, as the third runner to cross the line for the Saints.

Complete ECAC Women's Results

- Courtesy of ECAC Athletic Communications