Seahawks sail to victory with 1-2-3 finish at Mayflower Kickoff

HENNIKER, N.H. – Sophomore Amy Irving (Bohemia, N.Y.), junior Aubrey Palmquist (Bristol, Conn.) and sophomore Victoria Varone (Providence, R.I.) posted a 1-2-3 finish to lead Salve Regina to victory in the Mayflower Kickoff on Friday afternoon. The Seahawks placed five scorers inside the top 15 en route to a repeat victory in the season-opening meet at New England College.

Irving crossed the finish line at 20:00, with Palmquist and Varone not far behind at 20:10 and 20:14.  Freshman Olivia Wilson (Bethel, Conn.) and junior Rachel Gedansky  (Tolland, Conn.) rounded out the scoring five, finishing at 20:40 and 21:03. Junior Jackie Ofria (Manchester, Conn.) and sophomore Taylor Ricker (Rocky Point, N.Y.) were the Seahawks' sixth and seventh runners, completing the 5K course in 21:07 and 21:32.

Irving, who won the individual title at the 2013 Mayflower Kickoff, repeated the feat this year. The sophomore zipped to the front of the pack as the field raced through the downhill start and claimed the lead inside the opening mile. She led the rest of the way, with only teammates - Varone and Palmquist - within striking distance.

Palmquist marked a successful return to collegiate racing after missing most of the 2013 cross country campaign and all of the 2014 track season with a knee injury. The junior captain spent the first two miles in third place, leading a pack that included Abby Shafer of New England College and Emily Lopez of Colby-Sawyer. Palmquist pulled away in the closing mile and caught up with Varone in the final 800 meters of the race.

"It is encouraging to see Amy, Aubrey and Victoria healthy and running well. All three logged plenty of miles in summer training and worked hard to overcome injuries from last year," said head coach Rob McGuinness. "We're much more competitive when our 'big three' is leading the way."

Salve Regina captured the team title with 24 points. Colby-Sawyer College finished second with 50, while Gordon College was third with 97. There were 10 scoring teams and 110 runners in the 5K road and trail race.

Other Salve Regina finishers included:

Freshman Alexa Cipkas (Granby, Conn.) – 21:35
Junior Shannon Holden (Hingham, Mass.) – 21:49
Junior Joelle Ross (Simsbury, Conn.) – 22:13
Freshman Laura Cooper (Pearl River, N.Y.) – 22:21
Sophomore Alannah O'Rourke (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) – 22:32
Junior Lea Cure (Altamont, N.Y.) – 22:48
Freshman Hannah Lussier (Belchertown, Mass.) – 22:57
Sophomore Casey Devaney (Mahwah, N.J.) – 23:20
Sophomore Jessica Graham (Lowell, Mass.) – 23:30
Sophomore Sam Gisonni (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) – 23:49
Junior Tori Maxson (Old Saybrook, Conn.) – 24:00
Junior Rachel Pyne (Foxboro, Mass.) – 24:34
Junior Sam MacCallum (Northwood, N.H.) – 25:07

The Seahawks return to action at the Trinity Invitational in Manchester, Conn., on Sept. 6.

Full results:

http://www.coolrunning.com/results/14/nh/Aug29_Mayflo_set2.shtml

Women's Team Results
1.      Salve Regina University
2.      Colby-Sawyer College
3.      Gordon College
4.      Norwich University
5.      Babson College
6.      New England College
7.      Castleton State College
8.      Thomas College
9.      Maine Maritime Academy
10.     Bay Path College