Captains lead Seahawks at UMass Dartmouth
Courtesy of Rob McGuinness
NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Captains Alex Demeo (Burlington, Mass.) and Olivia Owen (Weymouth, Mass.) set the pace for Salve Regina against a deep, high-quality field at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational on Saturday. The two crossed the finish line within a second of one another to open the scoring for the Seahawks.
With the leaders setting a searing, sub-5:30 pace in the opening mile, Owen and Demeo took a more conservative approach, reaching the mile mark at 5:55 and 6:00. But the two found little room to move up in the subsequent miles, and a jam-packed race course stifled any attempts to improve their positions. They reached the finish line at 20:02.1 and 20:02.7.
The other Seahawk scorers fared only somewhat better amid the crowds. Sophomore Sydney DeCesare (Johnston, R.I.) and freshman Christina Moran (Oceanside, N.Y.) coordinated their efforts in the opening mile, with Moran moving into the No. 3 spot later in the race. Freshman Cate Norton (Sandy Hook, Conn.) and junior Cianna Lynch (Cranston, R.I.) worked together from the start, with Norton eventually claiming the final scoring spot for Salve Regina.
Brandeis University, ranked No. 6 in New England and No. 25 nationally, won the team title with a score of 56. The top 10 teams included several Division II and Division III programs with regional rankings, including Merrimack College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and East Stroudsburg University. There were 45 complete teams and 318 finishers in the varsity race. Salve Regina was 13th in the team scoring.
Salve Regina performances included:
67. Alex Demeo – 20:02.1
68. Liv Owen – 20:02.7
99. Chrissy Moran – 20:28.9
115. Sydney DeCesare – 20:36.6
130. Cate Norton – 20:44.1
144. Cianna Lynch – 20:57.6
187. Kat Bruce – 21:47.5
221. Molly Kittler – 22:42.2
Schafer takes charge in sub-varsity race
Ashley Schafer (Manorville, N.Y.) was the top Seahawk in the sub-varsity race on Saturday afternoon. The senior capitalized on a strong start – and an opening mile split of 6:20 – to finish inside the top 30 in the field of 187.
Senior Annie Mozzer (Agawam, Mass.), sophomore Fran Moore (Old Saybrook, Conn.), freshman Meredith Casey (White Plains, N.Y.) and sophomore Aoife Duffy (Weymouth, Mass.) rounded out the scoring lineup for the Seahawks.
Salve Regina finished eighth of 15 teams in the sub-varsity race. Holy Cross took the title with a score of 29.
Salve Regina performances included:
29. Ashley Schafer – 21:14.7
47. Annie Mozzer – 21:38.5
51. Fran Moore – 21:40.7
61. Meredith Casey – 22:00.0
90. Aoife Duffy – 22:52.0
109. Rachel Sandri – 23:22.3
125. Jillian LeBeau – 23:43.2
131. Maggie McCarthy – 24:04.2
145. Katy Cassetta – 24:45.6
The Seahawks return to action on Saturday in the Pop Crowell Invitational at Gordon College.
