2011 SEASON IN REVIEW
May 15, 2012
The Emmanuel Men's and Women's Cross Country Teams are coming off another successful season, which featured the Saints competing in five regular season meets, as well as the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship. Both the Emmanuel men and women earned top-five finishes at the GNACs, with the women placing 2nd and the men finishing 4th overall. The Saints women's team also competed in the NCAA Division III Regional Championships hosted by Bowdoin College in early November.
The two teams opened the season by hosting the 3rd Annual Fens Classic, which featured four local teams. The Emmanuel men and women both placed 3rd in their respective meets and were paced by freshmen. Christopher Connelly (Quincy, Mass.) and Ameena Dye (Syracuse, N.Y.) were both named the GNAC Rookie of the Week on September 5th, following their performances in their inaugural collegiate meets.
Dye went on to collect three more Rookie of the Week honors, including mentions on three consecutive weeks. She led the Saints in every meet during the 2011 season and her top-ten finish at the GNAC Championship garnered her All-Conference honors.
Junior captain Joslyn DelSignore (Taunton, Mass.) also earned All-Conference recognition, finishing 7th in the GNAC Championships. DelSignore, who was also named to the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team, ran second for the Saints throughout the year. This was her second year on the GNAC All-Conference Team.
Senior Katasi Kulubya (Anaheim, Calif.) met with great success, competing in her rookie cross country season. Kulubya consistently ran third for the Saints during the 2011 campaign. Sophomores Danielle Martin (York, Me.) and Molly Metivier (Keene, N.H.) were also consistent top-five finishers for the Saints throughout the year.
With two runners in the conference's top-ten, the Saints took second place as a team at the GNAC Championship. Head Coach Tony DaRocha, who completed his 11th season with the program, was voted the 2011 GNAC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year. This was DaRocha's third GNAC Coach of the Year honor.
Connelly was not only named the Rookie of the Week once this season, he also received GNAC Runner of the Week honors on September 12th and was subsequently named to the GNAC Weekly Honor Roll on September 19th. The recognition followed his 6th place finish at the Travis Fuller Invitational and his 27:52 time at the UMass-Dartmouth Shriners Invitational.
Senior Stephen Armstrong (Revere, Mass.) had another strong season for the Saints. With his 6th place finish at the GNAC Championship, the senior co-captain locked up All-Conference honors for the second time.
Senior Abdi Ibrahim (East Boston, Mass.) was coming off a GNAC All-Conference and Rookie of the Year season as a junior, but was hampered by injuries in 2011. Despite his injuries, Ibrahim was once again a top-five runner for the Saints and was named to the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team this Fall.
Sophomore Michael Morris (Stoughton, Mass.), senior Maurizio Turco (Revere, Mass.) and sophomore Nathan Bruno (Lenox, Mass.) were solid for the Saints all season and were consistent point-scorers in the six meets for Emmanuel. Junior Alen Smajic (Revere, Mass.) also had several strong showings this season, including running 4th for the Saints in the GNAC Championship meet.
The Emmanuel women's team will lose four seniors to graduation this May, including Kulubya, Kathleen King (Hopkinton, Mass.), Shannon McCabe (Charlestown, R.I.) and Brittany Sorice (Dover, N.H.). The squad returns 16 veterans to the team for the 2012 season. On the men's side, Emmanuel will graduate Armstrong, Turco and Wesley Cowles (Hebron, Conn.), but return 14 experienced runners to the team next year. DaRocha and Assistant Coach Alice Kramer will return for their 12th seasons at the helm in 2012.