Week #1 Cross Country Release (PDF)
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Binghamton University graduate
student Chris Gaube (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) and Boston University graduate
student Andrea Walkonen (Jaffrey, N.H./Conant) take home the first America East
male and female cross country Performer of the Week awards of the 2009 season for
the week ending in Sept. 13.
Gaube won
the men's individual title at Binghamton's home invitational on Saturday, Sept.
12 and led his team to a second-place finish. He ran the 8,000-meter course in
a time of 25:48, posting the fourth-fastest time on the Binghamton course since
the program entered the NCAA Division I level in 2001. Gaube's victory came
against a Columbia squad that placed third at last year's NCAA Northeast
Regional Championship.
After a 2008
season in which she captured the America East individual title, Walkonen is off
to a good start to the 2009 season with a win at the season-opening America
East Pre-Championship on Sunday, Sept. 13. Walkonen completed the 5,000-meter course
in 17:50.68, 35 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. She led the Terrier
women to a first-place team finish at the Pre-Championship in Burlington.
Three of the
men's cross country squads received regional rankings in the U.S. Track &
Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll - New Hampshire (ranked 11),
Stony Brook (13), and Binghamton (14). Four of the women's squads also garnered
regional rankings - Stony Brook (ranked 4), Boston University (9), New
Hampshire (10), and Vermont (15).
Albany - The
Great Danes competed on Sunday, Sept. 13 at the America East Pre-Championship
meet where, led by its young talent, the men's and women's teams secured fifth out
of six teams. Leading the squads were freshman Alex Leuchanka (Clifton Park,
N.Y./Shenendehowa) and sophomore Ada Lauterbach (East Berne,
N.Y./Berne-Knox-Westerlo) who each placed in the top-10. Leuchanka took first
at the men's first race, the Monmouth meet, on Sept. 5, winning his first
collegiate race, and then claimed fifth this past weekend. Lauterbach placed
first at Monmouth and followed her win with a ninth-place finish on Sunday leading
the youngest women's squad in the six-team field.
Albany's story
Binghamton -
Both the Binghamton men's and women's cross country squads started their seasons
off with a second-place finish out of four competing teams at their home
invitational on Saturday. Graduate student Chris Gaube led the men's squad
winning the men's individual title over a Columbia squad that placed third at
the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships last year. Gaube recorded the
fourth-fastest time on the Binghamton course since the program became NCAA
Division I in 2001. Freshman Jeff Martinez (Binghamton, N.Y./Johnson City) joined
Gaube in the top-10 finishing sixth in his first race for Binghamton. The
women's squad was led by its top finisher freshman Rachel Miura, who placed 14th
in her first race with the Bearcats.
Binghamton's story
Boston U. - The
Boston U. cross country teams claimed both the men's and women's individual titles
at their season-opening America East Pre-Championship race on Sunday. Junior
captain Eric Ashe (Hanson, Mass./Whitman-Hanson) took the men's title while
graduate student Andrea Walkonen ran away with the women's race. The Boston U. women's
squad won the meet with three women placing in the top-10. Sophomore Katie
Matthews (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill) finished seventh, and senior Sarah
Mosser (East Aurora, N.Y./East Aurora) finished 10th. The men's
squad came in third in the six-team meet and also placed two runners along with
Ashe in the top-10 - seventh-place finisher junior Craig MacPherson (Derry,
N.H./Pinkerton Academy) and eighth-place finisher sophomore Peter Gilmore
(Hanson, Mass./Whitman Hanson).
Boston U.'s story
Hartford - The
Hawks kicked off the men's and women's cross country season at the Trinity Invitational
on Saturday, Sept. 12 where the squads posted two fifth-place overall finishes
out of a nine-team field. Junior Jonas Hampton (Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove) led
the men's squad on Saturday and was Hartford's sole top-10 finisher claiming
ninth place. Sophomore Andrew Chalmers (Ashland, N.H./Plymouth Regional)
finished in 13th place only nine seconds after Hampton. Finishing first for the women was senior
Ariana Bass (Penacook, N.H./Concord High) who placed 14th overall. Freshman
Kayla Koonz, in her first race for Hartford, was the second Hawk to finish for
the women.
Hartford's story
Maine - The
Maine cross country team competed at the America East Pre-Championship race on
Sunday where the women's squad took third and the men came in fourth out of six
competing teams. Sophomore Corey Conner (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex
Regional) led the Black Bear women finishing in second place while teammate
senior Jordan Daniel (Corinna, Maine/Mt. Blue) also claimed a spot in the top-10
with a sixth-place finish. Junior Allison Conner (Townsend, Mass./North
Middlesex Regional) crossed the finish line third for Maine earning 11th
place. Sophomore Riley Masters (Bangor, Maine/Bangor) led the men's team with a
fourth-place finish.
Maine's story
New
Hampshire - The Wildcats' men's squad posted a victory at the America East
Pre-Championship meet at the University of Vermont while the women's team
claimed fourth place overall. After losing their first race of the season to
Providence on Sept. 6, the UNH men rebounded this past weekend winning the
Pre-Championship race led by senior Josh Kearns (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield),
who finished third. Three other Wildcat runners finished in the top-10 of the
men's competition - senior Wesley Dinnan (Juneau, Alaska/Juneau-Douglas), who
placed sixth, freshman Cory Sinotte, who placed ninth, and graduate student Ben
Jenkins (Francestown, N.H./Conval) who placed 10th. Sophomore Keely
Maguire (Georgetown, Mass./Triton Regional) led the women racing to a fourth-place
finish.
New Hampshire men's story
New Hampshire women's story
Stony Brook
- At their season-opening home invitational on Saturday, Sept. 5, Stony Brook
took home both individual titles and its men's and women's squads finished
second and first overall, respectively. Senior Laura Huet (Wellington, New
Zealand/Loreto College Foxrock) claimed the women's title and senior Daire
Bermingham (Portmarnock, Ireland/Sutton Park) won the men's race. The Seawolves
women claimed three other spots in the top five. Junior Carolina Cortes
(Woodmere, N.Y./Valley Stream South), sophomore Kristal Conklin (Middletown,
N.Y./Valley Stream Central), and junior Lisa Voltaire (Stockholm,
Sweden/Lopargymnasiet) finished third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. Sophomore
Gerard Harley (Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) posted a second top-10 finish for
the men placing fourth overall.
Stony Brook's story
UMBC - The Retrievers
opened their season at the Mount St. Mary's Dual 5K's on Sept. 4 where the
women's squad came in second and the men's finished fourth. On Saturday Sept.
12, the UMBC women posted a fourth-place finish in the Salty Dog Invitational,
and the men claimed a sixth-place finish in the Navy Invitational. The women had
two runners finish in the top-10 at the Salty Dog Invitational. Senior Sara Parkinson (Lancashire,
England/Loughborough University) and senior Suzanne Gabriel (Falls Church,
Va./MacLean) placed sixth and ninth, respectively. The two seniors also placed
in the top five at the Mount St. Mary's meet. Andrew Madison (Edgewater,
Md./South River) was the top finisher for the men coming in 19th at
the Navy Invitational.
UMBC's story
Vermont - The
Catamounts kicked off their cross country season by hosting the America East
Pre-Championship race where both the men's and women's squads finished second.
The men were led by senior Doug Maisey (Gwynedd Valley, Pa./ Wissahickon) who
finished second only six seconds behind first-place finisher Boston U.'s Ashe. The
men's four other top finishers claimed spots in the top-20. Sophomore Morgan
Powers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hills) led the women finishing third while two
other Catamounts women finished in the top-10. Freshman Debbie Isen (Bethesda,
Md./Walt Whitman) and senior Aly Millett (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) placed
fifth and eighth, respectively.
Vermont's story