Women's X Country |
Cross Country: Goals Achieved at BIG EASTOctober 30, 2010 02:27 PM  BIG EAST Championship Results 2010 Season StatsMORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Going into the BIG EAST Championships to face some of the nation’s best running programs, the West Virginia University cross country team came away with a solid fifth-place finish. The Mountaineers completed the 6K race with 149 points, falling only to No. 1 Villanova (26), No. 5 Georgetown (42), No. 8 Syracuse (79) and No. 13 Providence (90) Saturday morning at Jamesville Beach County Park in Syracuse, N.Y. “I am very pleased with our performance today,” says WVU coach Sean Cleary. “Every team in every sport has a level of potential. This group without question nailed their potential.” Earning all-BIG EAST honors was sophomore Kaitlyn Gillespie, who finished in 10th place overall with a time of 21:17. A quarter mile into the race, she sprang to the front and opened a seven-second lead by the mile mark. Sheila Reid of Villanova eventually finished in first place in 20:31 followed by teammate Amanda Marino. “From the gun, Gillespie refused to allow the speed of the race to go slow,” Cleary says. “She learned at the Penn State National a few weeks ago that a race that wasn’t fast from the gun was not in her best interest. Fearless against the best runners in the country, Katie showed us today that she has a great future in store for herself. All-Big East her first time around is fantastic.” Junior Sarah-Anne Brault came in second for the Mountaineers in 22nd place with a time of 21:46 followed by Ahna Lewis in 33rd place in 22:19. Senior Maria Dalzot pursued Lewis just moments later while redshirt freshman Sarah Martinelli scored the final points for the team with a 46th-place mark. “All coaches look for their kids to go to a competition with a good attitude, a competitive mind and the will to maximize their ability,” Cleary says. “I leave this meet very proud in all aspects of that criteria. We felt that we had a chance to nail fifth if we had a great day. We are very excited to have done so.” Hallie Portner, Aubrey Moskal, Jordan Hamric and Chelsea Jarvis also represented the Mountaineers at the meet. Overall, Villanova placed four runners in the top 10 while Georgetown placed three all-BIG EAST runners. Footage of the race can be seen at this link. WVU will next compete at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals in State College, Pa., on Nov. 13. “Katie and Sarah are well-poised to lead this team through regionals,” Cleary says. “Pride is how I feel about this group.” |
