2011 EMMANUEL CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW

Aug. 27, 2011

The Emmanuel Men's and Women's Cross Country Teams are stacked with both experience and speed for the 2011 season. The Saints men's squad returns all of its top-five runners from last season's team, which placed second in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship. The Emmanuel women return four of the top-five performers from the 2010 squad, which placed fourth out of twelve teams at the GNACs.

Emmanuel's Head Coach Tony DaRocha, two-time GNAC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year, is back for his 11th season at the helm of both programs. DaRocha touts Emmanuel junior and last season's GNAC Rookie of the Year, Abdi Ibrahim (East Boston, Mass.), as one of the conference's "runners to watch" this season. After transferring to Emmanuel as a junior, Ibrahim paced the Saints with wins in back-to-back meets to open the season. Ibrahim led the pack throughout the season and his 4th place finish at the GNAC Championship earned him 1st Team All-Conference honors.

Seniors Stephen Armstrong (Revere, Mass.) and Wesley Cowles (Hebron, Conn.) will co-captain the Emmanuel men. Armstrong ran in the top two for the Saints throughout his junior season, including leading Emmanuel at both the Codfish Bowl and at the NCAA Regionals. Also back for his senior year is Maurizio Turco (Revere, Mass.). Turco battled injuries throughout the 2010 campaign, but his experience will be a huge boost for the Saints if he can remain healthy this season. Fellow Revere native Alen Smajic (Revere, Mass.), returns for his junior season after competing as a top-five runner for the Saints last year.

The sophomore tandem of Nathan Bruno (Lenox, Mass.) and Michael Morris (Stoughton, Mass.) return after stellar rookie seasons. Both are expected to be top five contenders for the Emmanuel men. After tearing up the track with Bruno and Morris during the spring season, Eric Donnelly (Halifax, Mass.) has decided to run Cross Country this fall. Donnelly was a member of the Saints' 4 x 400 meter relay team that finished 4th in the New England Division III Championships and 10th in the ECAC Championships.

Coach DaRocha also touted several key recruits, who he expects to add depth to the Saints' line-up. Among them is Ben Alvarez (Rowland Heights, Calif.) who has run a 15:41 three-miler, Brian Collins (Hull, Mass.), Dana Murphy (Sandwich, Mass.) and Christopher Connelly (Quincy, Mass.)

Among GNAC competitors DaRocha expects Johnson & Wales, Emerson, and Norwich to provide the greatest challenge for the Emmanuel men. The Saints will square off against both JWU and Emerson in the 7th Annual Saints Invitational, before facing all three in the GNAC Championship. Emmanuel will open the season on Saturday, September 3rd, when the Saints host UMass Boston, Roger Williams and Wheelock in the Fens Classic on the track at Roberto Clemente Field.

The Emmanuel women return pretty much their top-seven runners from last season. The Saints' greatest losses were seniors Alison Lynch (Pawtucket, R.I.) and team captain Maureen Kellett (Westborough, Mass.). Emmanuel's top-returner is two-time team captain Joslyn DelSignore (Taunton, Mass.). DelSignore is coming off an incredible sophomore season, which featured four personal bests and a top-ten finish at the GNACs, which earned her All-Conference honors.

Rookie sensation Danielle Martin (York, Me.) is back for her sophomore year, after being named the conference's Rookie of the Week several times in 2010. Martin consistently ran in the top five for Emmanuel last year. Also returning as a top-five finisher is Brittany Sorice (Dover, N.H.), who is expected to provide some senior leadership from the front of the pack.

Sophomore Amy DeNuzzio (Salem, N.H.) came to Emmanuel as one of the Saints' top freshman last year, but was injured halfway through the season. She is healthy this year and expected to play a key role in the Saints' success. Classmate Kelly Ulf (Lunenburg, Mass.) is coming off an impressive track season and ready for her sophomore year on the course.

Coach DaRocha also returns the team's 2010 Unsung Hero in junior Julie Young (Derry, N.H.), who recorded four PR times as a sophomore. Both Meaghan Mauer (South Hadley, Mass.) and Meaghan Reddy (Warwick, R.I.), who consistently finished just behind the top-five are prepared to be strong performers in their sophomore and junior seasons, respectively.

In terms of newcomers, Coach DaRocha is excited about senior track star Katasi Kulubya (Anaheim, Calif.) finally lacing up her cross country sneakers. Kulubya holds multiple Emmanuel indoor and outdoor track records, including the top 400 meter time, while also running the lead-off leg of the record-setting and All-New England 4 x 400m relay team. She is now gearing up to compete in her fourth sport as a Saint, as Kulubya also played her freshman year on the Emmanuel Women's Basketball Team.

The Saints' top freshman female is expected to be Ameena Dye (Syracuse, N.Y.) out of Jamesville-Dewitt High School. Dye has run a 19:30 5k and a 5:08 in a 1500 meter race. Emmanuel gained a late surprise in sophomore transfer Molly Metivier (Keene, N.H.), who competed in cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field at Keene State College as a rookie. Coach DaRocha is also anxious to see how Cassandra and Samantha Varao (Plymouth, Mass.), recruited out of Plymouth North High School, compete in the collegiate ranks, as both are running 5ks in the high 22-minutes.

Like on the men's side, DaRocha feels that Johnson & Wales University will provide the greatest challenge for the Saints women's team. Emerson and Saints Joseph's College of Maine are perennial powerhouses in the GNAC as well. Emmanuel will face tough competition right out of the blocks, as the Saints host Wellesley College, who was among the top-thirty in 2010, in the opening meet of the season. Along with Wellesley, Emmanuel will run against UMass Boston, Roger Williams University and Wheelock College on Saturday, September 3rd, in the Fens Classic.

Both the Emmanuel men and the women are looking for at least top-two finishes in the GNAC Championship this fall. The two squads have each finished second in the conference in previous years, but neither squad has ever won the championship. The race is set for Saturday, October 29th, and Emmanuel plans to co-host the event with Emerson College on the course at Franklin Park. With the Saints hosting their Invitational on the same course just two weeks prior, Emmanuel will prep for their first ever GNAC titles.