Varone paces Seahawks to seventh place finish at UMass Dartmouth
NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Salve Regina senior Victoria Varone (Providence, R.I.) posted a career-best performance at 5K to lead the Seahawks to a seventh place finish in the UMass Dartmouth Invitational on Saturday.
Varone crossed the finish line at 18:48.47 to place 15th in the field of 275 runners, knocking eight seconds off her previous best time. Her former personal record – 18:56.38 – was also run at UMass Dartmouth, in 2014.
The senior captain was not far from the lead pack after splitting the opening mile in 5:49. As the field slowed from its blistering pace in the second mile, Varone held steady among the top 25. A well-timed move in the third mile carried Varone to the third-fastest 5K run by a Seahawk in the last 20 years.
"Victoria was outstanding today. She has been doing great work in training, and it is encouraging to see that effort translate to an excellent race performance," said head coach Rob McGuinness. "She really earned this PR."
Salve Regina's second and third scorers – senior Taylor Ricker (Rocky Point, N.Y.) and sophomore Alex Demeo (Burlington, Mass.) – also posted personal-best performances at 5K. Ricker finished at 19:35.43, while Demeo finished at 19:40.29. Ricker's time represented a 50-second improvement over her previous best, while Demeo dropped 25 seconds from her personal record.
Freshman Cianna Lynch (Cranston, R.I.) and junior Olivia Wilson (Bethel, Conn.) capped the scoring, crossing the finish line at 19:48.63 and 20:16.36. Senior captain Alannah O'Rourke and freshman Olivia Owen ran at No. 6 and No. 7, finishing at 20:18.92 and 21:13.97. Senior captain Jessica Graham (Lowell, Mass.) also represented Salve Regina in the varsity race, running 21:50.99, a 41-second improvement over her performance in the same meet last year.
The five Seahawk scorers combined for a team time of 1:38.09.18, an average of 19:37 per runner. That mark stands at No. 2 on the program's all-time list for combined team time at 5K. The No. 1 performance on the list, 1:36:00.61, was also run at UMass Dartmouth, in 2014.
"This course always suits us very well, and our all-time list reflects some of the successes we've had in this meet over the years. I'm proud to see this group make its mark on our performance list," McGuinness said. "UMass Dartmouth always draws a high-quality field, and this meet is a highlight on our schedule."
The 37 teams in the invitational field included a handful of programs with regional rankings. Brandeis University, ranked No. 7 in the New England Region in the USTFCCCA NCAA Division III Regional Cross Country Rankings, placed three runners in the top 10 and took the team title with a score of 99. Stonehill College, ranked No. 1 in the East Region in the Division II poll, was second with a score of 111. Senior Pascalin Jerotich of American International College won the individual title with a time of 17:41.79.
Salve Regina Performances:
15. Victoria Varone – 18:48.47
56. Taylor Ricker – 19:35.43
57. Alex Demeo – 19:40.29
67. Cianna Lynch – 19:48.63
91. Olivia Wilson – 20:16.36
94. Alannah O'Rourke – 20:18.92
149. Olivia Owen – 21:13.97
174. Jessica Graham – 21:50.99
Salve Regina returns to action on Sept. 24 at the Purple Valley Classic hosted by Williams College.
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Courtesy of Rob McGuinness
