Seahawks finish second in Western New England Invitational

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Freshman Bre Shipman (New Canaan, Conn.) and sophomore Heather McKee (Churchton, Md.) led the Salve Regina women's cross country team to a runner-up finish in the Western New England Invitational on Saturday.

Shipman and McKee raced to seventh and eighth in the field of 75 to set the pace for the Seahawks. Seniors Cate Norton (Sandy Hook, Conn.) and Christina Moran (Oceanside, N.Y.) and junior Izabella Kuczorski (Simsbury, Conn.) completed the scoring, while freshman Delaney Marek (Northampton, Mass.) and sophomore Kaelyn Fidrocki (Weymouth, Mass.) added displacement points.

The race developed quickly in the opening loops of the fields and trails on the campus of Western New England University. Jasmine Syed of the University of New England cruised into the lead, with Shayna Cousineau of Rhode Island College in pursuit. Norton, Shipman and McKee were in the top 10 from the opening mile, racing with the top harriers from Roger Williams University.

When runners emerged from the 2,000-meter loop of the trails that spanned the second and third miles of the course, it was immediately evident that Syed and Cousineau had maintained their advantage over the rest of the field. Syed would cross the finish line at 23:47, eight seconds clear of Cousineau. They were more than 30 seconds ahead of the next closest competitors.

The University of New England won the meet with a score of 46. Salve Regina and Bridgewater State tied for second with 58. (The Seahawks prevailed in the tiebreaker, 3-2, in a head-to-head comparison of the five scoring members of the tied teams.) Roger Williams finished fourth with a score of 65. There were eight complete teams and 11 programs represented in the meet.

Salve Regina performances on the 6,000-meter course included:

7. Bre Shipman – 25:37
8. Heather McKee – 25:39
13. Cate Norton – 26:10
16. Christina Moran – 26:37
19. Izabella Kuczorski – 26:57
22. Delaney Marek – 27:09
23. Kaelyn Fidrocki – 27:13
25. Avery Braccia – 27:28
34. Bridget Esposito – 28:25
39. Taryn Terracino – 28:42
40. Jenna French – 28:44
50. Paige McDade – 29:44
53. Emma Cote – 30:00
54. Mia Pastorok – 30:07
55. Nicole Nenninger – 30:13
56. Maya Baldauf – 30:20

The Seahawks return to action in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship at Western New England University on Saturday, October 30.