Holden's personal best leads Seahawks at Purple Valley Classic

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Senior Shannon Holden (Hingham, Mass.) posted a personal-best time in the 6K to lead Salve Regina against top-quality competition at the Purple Valley Classic hosted by Williams College.

Holden traversed the championship layout at Mount Greylock High School in 24:27.9 - more than a minute faster than her previous best at 6K - to finish as the Seahawks' No. 1 runner for the third time this season. Holden placed 71st of 198 runners in a field that included some of the top-ranked Division III teams in the country.

Junior Taylor Ricker (Rocky Point, N.Y.) ran in the No. 2 position for Salve Regina, crossing the finish line at 24:54.1. It was the second fastest 6K performance of her collegiate career, and a leap back into varsity scoring for a runner who'd been in the junior varsity race at the UMass-Dartmouth Invitational just a week ago.

"Shannon and Taylor were outstanding today," said head coach Rob McGuinness. "Shannon continues to demonstrate that she is comfortable and capable as a lead runner, and Taylor assumed an important scoring role on a day that we needed her help. With many of our varsity regulars resting this week, we needed to rely on our depth to get the job done."

Sophomore Olivia Wilson (Bethel, Conn.), junior captain Victoria Varone (Providence, R.I.) and senior captain Jackie Ofria (Manchester, Conn.) made up the rest of the scoring five for Salve Regina, crossing the finish line at 25:11.6, 25:24.3 and 25:25.1. Senior Joelle Ross (Simsbury, Conn.) and sophomore Alexa Cipkas (Granby, Conn.) ran at No. 6 and No. 7, finishing at 25:27.4 and 26:32.7.

Senior Lea Cure (Altamont, N.Y.) ran her fastest 6K since 2012 - her freshman year - with a 26:36.6, an improvement of 53 seconds from her last appearance at Williams. Sophomore Hannah Lussier (Belchertown, Mass.) and junior Jessica Graham (Lowell, Mass.) also represented Salve Regina in the varsity race, finishing at 28:01.6 and 28:45.7. Lussier's finish marked a 21-second personal best at 6K.

Williams College, ranked No. 6 in the most recent USTFCCCA NCAA Division III National Coaches Poll and No. 2 in the New England Region, placed four of its scorers in the top 10 to win the team title with a score of 39. Middlebury College, ranked No. 7 in the nation and No. 3 in the region, finished second with 66 points. MIT, ranked No. 2 in the nation and No. 1 in the region, was third with 69, while SUNY-Geneseo, ranked No. 3 in the nation and No. 1 in the Atlantic Region, was fourth with 75. The next three teams in the standings also held regional or national rankings. Salve Regina finished 11th of 17 scoring teams.

Salve Regina also had representation in the 5K junior varsity race. Freshman Alley Rogers (Alton, N.H.) led the way, finishing in the top half of the field at 23:33.0. Seniors Tori Maxson (Old Saybrook, Conn.) and Rachel Pyne (Foxboro, Mass.) were next across the line at 24:19.5 and 24:34.3. Freshman Cea Lacouture (York, Maine) also competed, finishing at 27:19.3.

Salve Regina returns to action on Saturday at the Tri-State Invitational hosted by the Community College of Rhode Island.