Seahawks ward off Warriors to win Tri-State Invitational
LINCOLN, R.I. – The Salve Regina women's cross country team set the pace from the start of the Tri-State Invitational on Saturday, setting the stage for success at the finish. With four scorers in the top 10, Salve Regina held off a late charge from Eastern Connecticut State University to win the team title.
Senior Cate Norton (Sandy Hook, Conn.) raced into the outright lead off the line, splitting the opening mile at 6:18. The team's varsity regulars – freshman Bre Shipman (New Caanan, Conn.), sophomore Heather McKee (Churchton, Md.), senior Christina Moran (Oceanside, N.Y.), and freshman Avery Braccia (Bristol, Conn.) – were not far behind, reaching the first mile at 6:22, 6:25, 6:26 and 6:30. The Seahawks held five of the first seven places in the race at mile one.
Norton maintained a narrow lead for each loop of the course on the campus of the Community College of Rhode Island, with Kasey Clark of Worcester State University hot on her heels. Shipman ran third for the entire race, a few seconds ahead of Maggie Santacroce of Eastern Connecticut. McKee held steady in fifth, giving the Seahawks an early edge in the scoring.
Norton and Clark would battle to the finish, with the race coming down to a dead sprint in the final 150 meters. Norton bolted ahead; Clark pulled even. Norton regained the lead, only to find Clark alongside her again. Clark surged into first just a few strides before the finish line, crossing at 20:58.5. Norton finished at 20:59.3.
Shipman, Santacroce and McKee would be next across the line. Eastern Connecticut's pack made a final push, with Kelsey Zator, Elisabeth Rodil and Iris Bazinet placing sixth, seventh and ninth, but Salve Regina would close out the scoring – and the victory – when Moran, Braccia and Delaney Marek (Northampton, Mass.) claimed the next three spots. Linsey Sirois (Washington Twp., N.J.) added displacement points a few places later.
The Seahawks won with a score of 24. Eastern Connecticut was second with 32, with Lesley University (88) and Mitchell College (94) third and fourth. Worcester State, Nichols College and the Community College of Rhode Island were also represented in the meet, but did not have enough runners to score. There were 39 runners in the field for the 5,000-meter race.
This victory marks the third invitational win of the season for Salve Regina. The Seahawks have consistently enjoyed success in the Tri-State Invitational, winning the meet five times in the last eight years.
Salve Regina performances included:
2. Cate Norton – 20:59.3
3. Bre Shipman – 21:25.6
5. Heather McKee – 21:46.8
10. Christina Moran – 22:12.6
11. Avery Braccia – 22:29.9
12. Delaney Marek – 22:31.3
16. Lindsey Sirois – 22:54.0
19. Izabella Kuczorski – 23:20.2
20. Jenna French – 23:29.1
23. Kaelyn Fidrocki – 23:47.1
24. Sarah Hauptman – 23:55.9
27. Bridget Esposito – 24:29.8
28. Taryn Terracino – 24:31.2
29. Paige McDade – 25:07.0
30. Maya Baldauf – 25:09.7
31. Nicole Nenninger – 25:37.5
32. Juliana Petronio – 26:25.4
The Seahawks return to action on October 16 at the Western New England Invitational.
