Pallotto leads Seahawks to eighth-place finish
NEW LONDON, Conn. - The Salve Regina University women's cross country team placed eighth out of 15 schools at the 2009 Connecticut College Cross Country Invitational.
Freshman Paige Pallotto (Woodbridge, Conn.) placed first amongst Seahawk runners and 16th overall with a time of 23:25 on the 6K course. Freshman Mallory Goding (Cumberland, Maine) was next in 42nd place with a time of 24:34, followed by sophomore Caroline Norton (Portland, Conn.) in 45th place (24:38), junior Marissa Fiore (Lexington, Maine) in 72nd place, and freshman Alexis Gallipoli (Branford, Conn.) in 89th place (26:09).
Rounding out the top 10 for Salve Regina included sophomore Taylor Rosendale (Grafton, Mass.) in 92nd place (26:15), freshman Marie Costanza (Moultonborough, N.H.) in 105th place (26:37), sophomore Jessica Long (Tyngsboro, Mass.) in 149th place (28:25), sophomore Caroline Gildea (Lexington, Mass.) in 155th place (28:37), and senior Erika Curtin (Medford, N.Y.) in 160th place (28:57).
"This race was at 6000 meters which is TCCC race distance as well as that of the NCAA Regionals," said women's assistant coach Matthew Hird. "The results were very encouraging as all our runners raced at a pace which was equal to or quicker than they ran last week at the shorter (5000m) and faster UMass Dartmouth course. Their strengh base seems to be solid and their performances should improve significantly when we introduce some speed work. This was a race against some very strong teams against whom we were competing for the first time. The Seahawks held their own, with Paige Pallotto running the fastest time in Salve Regina history over the 6000m distance and Mal Goding and Caroline also recording excellent times. Collectively, the team recorded the fastest aggregate time (first five runners) in Salve Regina history for 6000m. Another good outing for the team."
The Seahawks return to action on Saturday when they compete at the Pop Crowell Invitational at Gordon College.