Palmquist paces Seahawks at ECAC Championship
WESTFIELD, Mass. - Junior captain Aubrey Palmquist (Bristol, Conn.) posted one of the fastest 6K times in school history in leading Salve Regina to a 13th place finish in the ECAC Division III Cross Country Championship on Saturday. Palmquist ran 23:26.99 – which stands at No. 6 on the Salve Regina all-time list – and finished inside the top 30 in the field of 303 runners.
Palmquist and sophomore Victoria Varone (Providence, R.I.) set the pace for the Seahawks in the flat, fast opening mile on the grass-and-trail course at Stanley Park. Palmquist split the first mile in 6:12; Varone followed in 6:15. Palmquist continued to advance on the field and held her position despite a fall in the second mile. She emerged from the woods with her knees bruised and bloodied but continued to pass competitors through the closing stretch, moving from 35th place at the third mile to 27th at the finish line.
"Aubrey ran an incredibly tough race today," said head coach Rob McGuinness. "The fall definitely cost her a few seconds, but she's never one to give up. She fought all the way to the finish and earned her fastest 6K time in two years. I know I can always depend on her to lead our team in a meet like this one."
Varone ran in the No. 2 position for the Seahawks, finishing at 24:29.52. Junior captain Jackie Ofria (Manchester, Conn.) ran at No. 3, posting a personal-best time of 24:44.72. Sophomore Taylor Ricker (Rocky Point, N.Y.) and junior Joelle Ross (Simsbury, Conn.) rounded out the scoring five, crossing the finish line at 24:47.22 and 25:18.59. The scoring lineup of Palmquist, Varone, Ofria, Ricker and Ross combined for a time of 2:02:46.43, which stands as the fourth-fastest 6K team time in program history and the team's all-time best 6K performance on the course at Westfield State University.
"We were able to offer a few different athletes an opportunity to run in a scoring role today, which is a credit to our depth and a credit to the work that they've done this season. Jackie, Taylor and Joelle did a tremendous job," McGuinness said. "Jackie and Taylor both had significant personal-best performances and showed why they earned their spots in this meet. They peaked at the right time."
Junior Rachel Gedansky (Tolland, Conn.) and sophomore Nicole Schafer (Manorville, N.Y.) also represented Salve Regina, finishing at 25:34.93 and 26:10.83. Gedansky's time was her fastest 6K of her sophomore and junior seasons.
Williams College captured the team title with a score of 48. The University of New England placed second, and Middlebury College was third. Rebecca Delacruz-Gunderson of Williams won the overall title with a time of 22:15.27. Salve Regina finished 13th of 48 scoring teams. There were 57 colleges and universities represented in the women's race.
The Seahawks conclude their 2014 cross country campaign in the NCAA New England Regional Championship on November 15. The meet, hosted by Williams College, will be run on the championship course at Mount Greylock High School in Williamstown, Mass.
Results: http://www.coolrunning.com/results/14/ma/Nov8_ECACDi_set2.shtml
