Seahawks capture UNE Invitational

BIDDEFORD, Maine - Salve Regina placed four runners in the top 10 en route to winning the team title at the University of New England Invitational on Saturday. The Seahawks' scoring five finished 2-3-8-9-11 overall for a team score of 33 and a 10-point victory over UNE. 

Freshman Victoria Varone (Providence, R.I.) led the way for Salve Regina, crossing the finish line in 19:25, eight seconds behind UNE's Brittany Sorbello. Sophomore Aubrey Palmquist (Bristol, Conn.), freshman Amy Irving (Bohemia, N.Y.), senior Ema Waldschmidt (Verbank, N.Y.) and sophomore Rachel Gedansky (Tolland, Conn.) were the other Seahawk scorers, finishing in 19:30, 20:06, 20:07 and 20:17 respectively. Senior Kayley Ryan (Portland, Conn.) and freshman Nicole Schafer (Manorville, N.Y.) were Salve Regina's sixth and seventh runners at 20:31 and 20:41.

"We ran a smart race against a very good field. Each of our top runners has a job to do in a race like this one, and they all delivered today," said head coach Dave Kraszewski. "Victoria Varone and Amy Irving had a great start, and Victoria put herself in contention for the win. Aubrey Palmquist and Ema Waldschmidt positioned themselves well for strategic moves later in the race, and Rachel Gedansky made a major contribution, gaining ground on the second loop of the course. I could not be more pleased with the effort." 

The course at Rotary Park is the site of the Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship meet on Nov. 2. Saturday's meet offered a preview of the course, though heavy rain on Friday forced meet officials to redirect portions of the 3,000-meter "B Loop" on both the 5K and 8K courses. 

Other Salve Regina finishers included: 

Jessica Graham (Lowell, Mass.) - 20:51
Taylor Ricker (Rocky Point, N.Y.) - 20:58
Alannah O'Rourke (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) - 21:01
Samantha Gisonni (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) - 21:02
Andrea Ricci (Ashford, Conn.) - 21:09
Shannon Holden (Hingham, Mass.) - 21:13
Jackie Ofria (Manchester, Conn.) - 21:27
Joelle Ross (Simsbury, Conn.) - 21:33
Danielle Schioppo (North Haven, Conn.) - 21:52
Lea Cure (Altamont, N.Y.) - 21:54
Casey Devaney (Mahwah, N.J.) - 22:28
Sabrina Parisi (Gloucester, Mass.) - 22:38
Sarah Valenti (Seymour, Conn.) - 22:45
Megan Sylvia (Westerly, R.I.) - 23:04
Ashley Donelan (Upton, Mass.) - 23:14
Carlie Currier (East Granby, Conn.) - 23:59
Rachel Pyne (Foxboro, Mass.) - 24:31
Sam MacCallum (Northwood, N.H.) - 24:47
Victoria Maxson (Old Saybrook, Conn.) - 24:57

Click here to view complete race results. 

The Seahawks return to action on Saturday, Sept. 21 at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational.

Courtesy of Rob McGuinness

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