Posted: Aug 19, 2016

Four will lead Salve Regina women's cross country in 2016

2016 captains (l to r): Victoria Varone, Jessica Graham, Alexa Cipkas, Alannah O'Rourke

NEWPORT, R.I. – Seniors Alannah O'Rourke (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) and Jessica Graham (Lowell, Mass.) and junior Alexa Cipkas (Granby, Conn.) have been appointed as captains of the Salve Regina women's cross country team. The three join incumbent captain Victoria Varone (Providence, R.I.) on the program's leadership team for the 2016 season.

Varone, a senior, is among the most accomplished runners on the roster. She played a key role in the Seahawks' second-place finish in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship in 2015 and has been among the team's varsity regulars throughout her career. Varone is part of the lineups that hold school records for combined team time at 5K and 6K and she is one of Salve Regina's all-time fastest at 6K. She was the CCC Rookie of the Year and the program's Runner of the Year in 2013.

O'Rourke assumes a leadership role after years of making steady varsity contributions on a deep, talented team. She established herself as a regular scorer in 2014 – earning the team's Most Improved Runner award for her efforts – and has continued to set personal bests at 5K and 6K. Her career highlights include running in the No. 3 spot at the 2014 CCC Championship and competing in the 2014 NCAA Division III New England Regional Championship, contributing to the lineup that had the program's all-time best finish in a regional championship.

Graham earns a promotion to captain after years of unwavering dedication to the cross country program. She was a varsity contributor during her freshman year – in 2013 – but was slowed by injuries during her sophomore and junior seasons. In spite of numerous setbacks, she continued to train and race, and she closed to within 13 seconds of her personal best at 6K in 2015. Her career highlights include scoring roles in invitational victories at New England College and Western New England University.

Cipkas joins the leadership team as a junior after two years of running among the team's varsity regulars. She is also part of the lineup that holds the school record for combined team time at 5K and was among the scorers – with a personal-best time for 6K – in the 2014 NCAA Division III New England Regional Championship. She shared the team's Rookie of the Year award in 2014.

"Victoria is an established leader, and Alannah, Jess and Alexa are absolutely the right people to join the leadership team," said head coach Rob McGuinness. "This is a talented, experienced and highly committed group, and I know I can count on my captains to set the tone and to keep the team focused as we pursue our goals this fall."

Salve Regina opens its 2016 racing season at the Roger Williams Invitational on Sept. 3.