CAMBRIDGE, Mass – A pair of ninth-place finishes from Albany senior Chris Burke (Tully, N.Y./SUNY Delhi) and Stony Brook senior Hayley Green (Wellington, New Zealand/Samuel Marsden Collegiate) net them America East Cross Country Performer of the Week honors.
Burke led the Great Dane men to a third-place finish at the Greater Louisville Classic against some of the country’s finest runners. He raced through the course in 24:13.38, which was an Albany record for the Classic.
Green bolted through the 5K course at the Notre Dame Invitational in 17:15 pacing the Stony Brook women to an 11th place team finish. This was Green’s second top-10 finish of the season after she won the season-opening race against Quinnipiac and C.W. Post back in early September.
Albany’s men’s and women’s cross country teams finished third and 16th on Oct. 1 at the Greater Louisville Classic in Louisville, Ky. Senior Chris Burke led the Great Dane men placing ninth in a school record time of 24:13.38 in the 8K race. Juniors Paul Lagno (Salt Point, N.Y./Millbrook) finished 17th (24:22.37), Ethan Clary (Schuylerville, N.Y./Schhuylerville Central) in 18th (24:22.51) and Alex Leuchanka (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) in 21st (24:30.64) to round out the top four Albany finishers. For the Dane women, Emily Finnegan (Niskayuna, N.Y./Colonie Central) placed 32nd with a time of 17:45.14 in the women’s 5K race. Junior Melissa Del Rosario (Bellport, N.Y./Bellport) was the next Great Dane across the finish line taking 74th. The Dane men still stand at No. 10 in the USTFCCCA Northeast Regional Rankings. Albany is off this week but will host the 45th UAlbany Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 15 at the University Campus Course - host of the America East Cross Country Championships.
Both Binghamton cross country teams ran at the Lehigh Paul Short Invitational, the men competing in the brown race and the women in the gold race. Junior Vasili Papastrat (Binghamton, N.Y./Binghamton) finished in 15th place overall covering the 8K course in 26:05. Classmate Jason Santos (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown) earned a 25th-place finish to help the Bearcats grab second place as a team. Of the 396 women’s competitors in the gold race, Lindsay Raulli (North Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero North Syracuse) was 166th overall completing the 6K course in 22:51. Sophomore Caitlin Jelinek (Holmes, N.Y./Pawling) was 179th.
Boston U. rested up this week for the New England Championships on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass. The Terrier men are still ranked 12th in the Northeast while the women slipped two spots, down to No. 14.
Hartford also had the week off and returns to action at the New England Championships in Boston, Mass.
Maine joined the list of idle cross country squads, next racing at the New England Championships in Boston, Mass.
The UMBC cross country teams competed at the Paul Short Invitational on Friday. The Retriever women placed 23rd, while the men finished 40th. Senior Keri Wilson (Columbia, Md./Long Reach) led the UMBC women across the line, placing 27th overall in a season-best 6K time of 22:53. The Top five Retriever men were separated by just 21 seconds, led by sophomore Brandan McGee (Hiram, Ohio/Crestwood) who placed 197th in a time of 26:17. The Retriever men are ranked 14th in the Mid-Atlantic region and both squads return to action on Oct. 15 at the Princeton Invitational.
New Hampshire traveled to Pennsylvania for the Paul Short Invitational. The men placed eighth in the brown race while the women finished 13th in the gold race. Junior Keely Maguire (Georgetown, Mass./Triton) finished 25th overall to lead the UNH women crossing the finish line with a time of 21:09. Senior Sydney Fitzpatrick (Billerica, Mass./Billerica Memorial) placed 63rd (21:43) and sophomore Elise Beattie (Woodstock, Ill./Woodstock) also finished in the top-100, as she finished 80th in 21:58. Daniel DeCresenzo (New Milford, Conn./New Milford) finished seventh overall to pace the Wildcat men running the 8K race in 25:52. Despite the strong showing, the women’s squad fell to No. 11 in the Northeast region. UNH returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 8 at the New England Championships in Boston, Mass.
Stony Brook sent its cross country team to different venues this weekend. The women competed at the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend while the men ran at the Paul Short Invite. Hayley Green placed ninth among 194 competitors with a time of 17:15 in the 5K race. She led the Seawolf women to 11th place overall. For the men, Eric Speakman (Napier, New Zealand/Taradale) was Stony Brook’s top finisher, placing 111th in 25:37. The Seawolf women are No. 8 in the Northeast region.
Vermont was led by senior captain Morgan Powers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill) who placed 29th overall at the Paul Short Invitational in the women’s gold 6K race with a time of 21:11. Powers was competing against seven nationally ranked teams. On the men’s side, Vermont was paced by a time of 25:43 from sophomore captain Aaron Szotka (Windsor, Conn./Windsor), who finished 122nd overall. For the fifth consecutive week, the Lady Catamounts stand at No. 15 in the Northeast regional rankings.