Owen paces Salve Regina at ECAC Championships
MILTON, N.Y. – Freshman Olivia Owen (Weymouth, Mass.) led Salve Regina to a seventh-place finish in the ECAC Division III Cross Country Championship on Saturday. The nursing major, who will also represent the Seahawks in the NCAA Division III New England Regional Championship, finished inside the top 30 in the field of 100 runners from 18 teams.
Owen quickly assumed the top spot for Salve Regina on the challenging grass and trail course at the Hudson Valley Sports Dome, splitting the first mile in 6:27. The race slowed considerably as runners repeated two steep climbs and negotiated several tight turns on the two-loop course. But Owen maintained her position – and her leading role – throughout the 6K race.
"We knew when we previewed the course that it would not be a 'personal best' day for anyone. Our focus was on good race tactics and running for position," said head coach Rob McGuinness. "Liv did a fine job in the No. 1 spot. She has done well in the transition to collegiate running, and she has an incredibly bright future."
Sophomore Ashley Schafer (Manorville, N.Y.) ran in the No. 2 spot for Salve Regina, splitting the first mile at 6:40 and improving her position in the later miles, closing to within two places of Owen. Senior Alannah O'Rourke (Rockville Centre, N.Y.), freshman Rachel Sandri (Marlboro, N.Y.) and junior Hannah Lussier (Belchertown, Mass.) capped the scoring for the Seahawks, with seniors Jessica Graham (Lowell, Mass.) and Nicole Schafer (Manorville, N.Y.) at No. 6 and No. 7.
"This meet meant some additional postseason experience for three of our newcomers – Liv, Ashley and Rachel – and one last race for Alannah, Jess and Nicole," McGuinness said. "They earned this opportunity, and they represented our program very well today."
The Stevens Institute of Technology captured the team title with a score of 67. Vassar College finished second with 84, and William Smith College was third with 114. Castleton University freshman Kaylyn Crompton won the individual championship with a time of 24:53.
Salve Regina performances:
29. Olivia Owen – 26:52.2
31. Ashley Schafer – 27:06.0
37. Alannah O'Rourke – 27:31.3
43. Rachel Sandri – 27:49.0
50. Hannah Lussier – 28:10.5
64. Jessica Graham – 28:55.0
68. Nicole Schafer – 29:08.7
The Seahawks' varsity regulars will finish out the 2016 cross country campaign on Saturday at the NCAA Division III New England Regional Championship at Westfield State University.
Results:
http://www.ecacsports.com/documents/2016/11/5//D3_ECAC_Women_s_Results.pdf?id=734
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Courtesy of Rob McGuinness
