Holden sets pace in Seahawks' season-opener
BRISTOL, R.I. – Senior Shannon Holden (Hingham, Mass.) led Salve Regina to a third-place finish in the Roger Williams Invitational at Colt State Park on Saturday. Holden finished inside the top 20 in the field of 196 to score as the Seahawks' No. 1 runner for the first time in her career.
Wellesley College, ranked No. 5 in the New England Division III preseason cross country rankings, placed all five of its scorers in the top 10 to win the meet with a score of 29 points. Brandeis University was second with 40. Salve Regina was third among 15 teams in the season-opening meet.
Holden and senior captain Aubrey Palmquist (Bristol, Conn.) set the early pace for Salve Regina, working their way into the top 30 in the opening mile and moving up into the top 20 as the racers finished their first loop through the woods and trails. Holden maintained her position in the closing mile and crossed the finish line at 20:34. Palmquist was not far behind at 20:49.
Seniors Joelle Ross (Simsbury, Conn.) and Jackie Ofria (Manchester, Conn.) were next across the finish line for the Seahawks, crossing at 21:24 and 21:25. Sophomore Olivia Wilson (Bethel, Conn.) finished at 21:30 to round out the scoring five.
"There are a lot of good things to take away from this performance. While we weren't anticipating faster times on this course, we still executed well," said head coach Rob McGuinness. "Shannon was tremendous in the No. 1 spot, and Joelle and Jackie really stepped up for us today. That's the kind of leadership we need from our seniors."
Freshman Alex Demeo (Burlington, Mass.) and sophomore Alexa Cipkas (Granby, Conn.) ran at No. 6 and No. 7. Demeo found herself boxed in during the early stages of the race and gained considerable ground in the closing mile to finish at 21:32, while Cipkas finished at 21:48.
The technical terrain on the 5K course at Colt State Park did not lend itself to faster times. Nine of the 196 runners in the women's race broke 20 minutes – and seven of those were from either Brandeis or Wellesley – and 28 finished under 21 minutes. Wellesley senior Priyanka Fouda was the individual champion, finishing at 19:11.
Other Salve Regina finishers included:
Junior Taylor Ricker (Rocky Point, N.Y.) – 21:52
Senior Lea Cure (Altamont, N.Y.) – 22:31
Senior Rachel Pyne (Foxboro, Mass.) – 23:11
Junior Nicole Schafer (Manorville, N.Y.) – 23:16
Freshman Alley Rogers (Alton, N.H.) – 23:24
Junior Sam Gisonni (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) – 23:41
Junior Jessica Graham (Lowell, Mass.) – 23:51
Freshman Molly Kittler (Pittsfield, Mass.) – 23:55
Freshman Cea Lacouture (York, Maine) – 24:21
Sophomore Ellen Tuttle (Monmouth, Maine) – 24:23
Senior Tori Maxson (Old Saybrook, Conn.) – 25:11
Sophomore Mabelitza Guzman (Waterbury, Conn.) – 26:54
Salve Regina returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 12 at the Trinity Invitational at Wickham Park in Manchester, Conn.
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Written by Rob McGuinness
