CAMBRIDGE, Mass.— Two University of Maine athletes earn the America East Performer of the Week honors for the third week of the 2010 cross country season. Junior David Currier (Sidney, Maine/Messalonskee) takes home the men’s honor. Junior Corey Conner (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex Regional) wins the weekly award for the women.
Currier led the Black Bear men to a decisive, 17-43, victory in a dual meet against New Hampshire in Orono, Maine on Saturday. The junior paced the Maine men with a time of 25:25 on the 8k course. The time was good for a first-place finish in the race, just one second ahead of teammate Jason Kaake. Currier is the second Black Bear to win the men’s Performer of the Week award this season. Junior Riley Masters won in the season’s first week.
Conner ran away from the pack to grab a first-place finish in Maine’s dual meet win, 18-42, over New Hampshire. The junior finished the 5k course in a time of 17:31, 44 seconds ahead of the next runner to cross the finish line. This is Conner’s second-straight week to be named the women’s America East Performer of the Week.
University at Albany cross country did not have a meet this past week. Both the men’s and women’s teams appear in the USTFCCCA Northeast regional rankings this week. The men come in at 13 while the women held their ranking at 15. Both the men’s and women’s teams return to action on Saturday, October 2, to compete at the Greater Louisville Classic at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky.
Binghamton University, on both the men’s and women’s sides, did not compete this week. The men’s team maintained its Northeast regional ranking at No. 7. The Bearcats will race Friday, October 1, when both the men and the women will run in the Lehigh Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pa.
Boston University did not compete in a race last week and will not run in competition again until October 9, when they participate in the New England Championship, held at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass., site of the 2010 America East Championship meet.
The University of Hartford cross country teams ran at the Ted Owens Invitational hosted by Central Connecticut State in New Britain, Conn., on Saturday. The men’s team claimed third place out of eight squads while the women earned a sixth-place finish out of 10 squads. The men were again paced by junior Andrew Chalmers (Ashland, N.H./Plymouth Regional) whose time of 27:01 on the 8k course earned a ninth-place finish. Junior Eric Flaman (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) also finished in the top-20, checking in with a time of 27:38 to finish in 16th place. Freshman Megan Barry (South Yarmouth, Mass./Dennis Yarmouth Regional) paced the Hawk women once again, posting a personal-best time of 19:08 on the 5k course to finish in 18th place. Marisa Poleto (Albany, N.Y./Colonie), a senior, was the second Hartford woman to cross the line finishing 27th in 19:26. Each of Hartford’s scorers punched in personal-best performances. The Hawks enjoy a two-week layover before returning to action on Saturday, October 9 at the New England Championship.
The University of Maine hosted New Hampshire for a dual meet on September 24. The Black Bears swept the meet, with the men posting a 17-43 decision while the women scored an 18-42 victory. With those performances, the men held their No. 14 ranking in the USTFCCCA Northeast region while the women jumped up to No. 11 in the Northeast region, up three spots from last week. The men posted the top four finishers in the race, paced by Currier and freshman Jason Kaake (Phippsburg, Maine/Morse). Kaake finished second in a time of 25:26, one second behind Currier. For the women, Corey Conner ran away with the victory. Senior Alison Conner (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex Regional) finished second overall in a time of 18:15. In both the men’s and women’s races, the five Black Bear scorers finished in the top seven, including four of the top five in each race. Maine’s next race will be a dual meet in Orono, Maine, on Saturday, October 2 against Holy Cross.
UMBC did not compete in a meet last week. Both Retriever teams will return to action October 1 for the Lehigh Paul Short Run.
The University of New Hampshire sent its men’s and women’s cross country teams to Orono, Maine last Saturday for a dual meet against Maine. The men and women both finished second, the men by a score of 17-43, the women, 18-42. The women are currently ranked 14th in the USTFCCCA Northeast region. In the men’s race, senior Andrew Dionne (Westerley, R.I./Westerley) paced the Wildcats, posting a fifth-place finish in a time of 26:00. Freshman Joseph Jourdain (Hudson, N.H./Bishop Guertin) finished behind Dionne in sixth place, posting a time of 26:08. For the women, senior Jennifer Racine (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) finished the course in 18:24, good for a fourth-place finish. New Hampshire will next compete in the Lehigh Paul Short Run on October 1.
Stony Brook University’s cross country teams were idle this week. The women’s team received 24 votes in this week’s USTFCCCA National poll, coming in as the first team not ranked in the top 30. The women’s team also remained third in the Northeast regional rankings. Both the men and the women will run on October 1. The women will race in the Notre Dame Invitational while the men compete in the Lehigh Paul Short Run.
The University of Vermont Catamounts did not race last week. The next meet for the Catamounts will be October 1 at the Lehigh Paul Short Run.