Posted: Oct 18, 2014

Seahawks take second at Western New England

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Junior captain Aubrey Palmquist (Bristol, Conn.) and freshman Olivia Wilson (Bethel, Conn.) finished inside the top 10 to lead Salve Regina to a second-place finish in the Golden Bears Invitational at Western New England University on Saturday.

Palmquist again set the pace for the Seahawks, dueling with Framingham State freshman Haley Chamberlain for the second time in three weeks. Palmquist crossed the finish line at 19:53, good for third overall in the field of 210 runners. Wilson covered the grass-and-trail 5K course in 20:22 to place ninth overall.

"Aubrey and Olivia have been so consistent this season," said head coach Rob McGuinness. "They're two of the most dependable runners on the team, and I know I can always count on them in a close race."

Sophomore Alannah O'Rourke (Rockville Centre, N.Y.), junior Shannon Holden (Hingham, Mass.) and sophomore Nicole Schafer (Manorville, N.Y.) made up the rest of the scoring five for the Seahawks. O'Rourke placed inside the top 20 with a time of 20:39, while Holden and Schafer were inside the top 30 at 20:59 and 20:59.

"We've run a few races this season with different lineup configurations. Part of that was intended to challenge Alannah, Shannon and Nicole to move up into the scoring lineup," said McGuinness. "As today's race developed, we found ourselves in need of some scoring help. Those three stepped up and kept us in the meet."

Junior captain Jackie Ofria (Manchester, Conn.) and junior Rachel Gedansky (Tolland, Conn.) ran at No. 6 and No. 7 for the Seahawks, finishing inside the top 40 at 21:01 and 21:17.

The meet featured one additional highlight for Salve Regina, when senior captain Jen Chieco (Clifton Park, N.Y.) made her collegiate racing debut. Chieco, who has spent four years rehabilitating several running injuries, finished at 23:14, ahead of 114 runners. It was her first race since her senior year at Shenendehowa High School.

"It was only in the last year that Jen had a realistic possibility of returning to racing," McGuinness said. "She worked incredibly hard to reach this point, and I know she wanted to cross that finish line more than anything. Today, she did it. It's a real credit to her hard work and dedication. Her teammates and I are so proud to see her back in action."

Salve Regina finished second of 22 with a team score of 83. Roger Williams University won the team title with a score of 61. Roger Williams senior Hannah Zydanowicz was the overall winner, crossing the finish line at 19:16.38.

Other Salve Regina finishers included:

Freshman Alexa Cipkas (Granby, Conn.) - 21:21
Junior Joelle Ross (Simsbury, Conn.) - 21:38
Sophomore Taylor Ricker (Rocky Point, N.Y.) - 21:38
Junior Lea Cure (Altamont, N.Y.) - 21:49
Sophomore Jessica Graham (Lowell, Mass.) - 21:57
Freshman Hannah Lussier (Belchertown, Mass.) - 22:16
Junior Tori Maxson (Old Saybrook, Conn.) - 22:49
Freshman Laura Cooper (Pearl River, N.Y.) - 23:01
Sophomore Sam Gisonni (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) - 23:14
Sophomore Casey Devaney (Mahwah, N.J.) - 23:28
Junior Rachel Pyne (Foxboro, Mass.) - 23:47
Junior Sam MacCallum (Northwood, N.H.) - 25:56
Junior Samantha Stratford (Needham, Mass.) - 29:01