The America East Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championship will be held at University of New Hampshire on Saturday (October 30). It will mark the third time that the conference’s premier meet will be held at New Hampshire. The Wildcats also hosted in 1997 and 1992. The men compete on an 8,000-meter course at 10 a.m. while the women run 5,000 meters starting at 11 a.m.
The conference has annually sponsored a Men’s Cross Country Championship since 1988 while the first Women’s Championship was held in 1989.
Last season New Hampshire swept both the men’s and women’s championships, held at the University at Albany. It was the third-straight year the Wildcat men had won while the women’s team ended a seven-year championship run by Boston University.
Boston University has won 12 of the previous 15 women’s championships. New Hampshire and University of Vermont (1989) are the only schools from the present membership to have also won a women’s title.
New Hampshire has won five of the last six men's meets. Boston University has won 10 titles with Northeastern University (1988) winning the other.
Former Boston University standout Jochen Dieckfoss covered the 8K course at Albany last year in a time of 24:50 to become the second four-time individual champion in conference history. Former Stony Brook University runner Jackie Nunez won the women’s individual championship with a 5K time of 17:31.
Anthony Truax of New Hampshire, who finished second at the 2003 America East Championship with a time of 24:53, Dale Summerville of Stony Brook (fourth, 25:10) and Andy Allstadt of Albany (fifth, 25:10) are the top returning men’s performers. Truax was the top America East finisher at the 2004 New England Championships at Franklin Park on October 8, finishing sixth with a time of 24:53. Two weeks ago he won the Albany Invitational, a 29-team event which included Binghamton and Northeastern as well as the host Great Danes, with a time of 24:46.
Caitlyn Hayes of New Hampshire, who finished third at the 2003 America East Championship with a time of 18:04, Alyssa Lotmore of Albany (sixth, 18:17) and Leonora Joy of Stony Brook (eighth, 18:21) are the top returners on the women’s side. Andrea Walkonen (second, 17:23), Marisa Ryan (ninth, 18:04) and Victoria Botticelli (10th, 18:06) of Boston University were the top three America East finishers at the 2004 New England Championships at Franklin Park on October 8. Another runner to watch is Erica Angell of Binghamton University, who two weeks ago won the Albany Invitational, a 21-team event which included New Hampshire and Northeastern as well as the host Great Danes, with a time of 17:40. Hayes was second at 17:46.
Larissa Kleinmann of Boston University owns the conference record with a time of 16:40.0 at the Hunt Oregon Ridge course in Hunt Valley, Md. in 1998. Dieckfoss set a conference record for the men in 2002, running the Franklin Park course in a time of 23:45.
The America East Cross Country Championships have been run at several different venues and have previously been hosted by Albany, Boston University and Northeastern (at Franklin Park), University of Hartford, University of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, among others.