10th-Ranked Men's Cross Country Begins Defense Of Northeast-10, NCAA Regional Crowns With Solid Third Place Finish At Connecticut College Invitational

September 9, 2006

STONEHILL CROSS COUNTRY

Connecticut College Invitational

Saturday, September 9, 2006

Harkness Memorial State Park, Waterford, Conn.

WATERFORD, Conn.-- Both Stonehill cross country teams began their respective 2006 campaigns with solid performances on Saturday afternoon at the Connecticut College Invitational, as both squads posted third place team finishes in the 30-team field.

On the men's side, 10th-ranked Stonehill placed behind only Division I Yale's team score of 33 points and runner-up Southern Connecticut's 76 points on the day, as the Skyhawks posted a team score of 84 points. Junior Keith Gill (Brockton, Mass.) led the way with a seventh place individual finish in a time of 25:34 over the 8K layout at Harkness Memorial State Park, while junior All-America David Metzger (Ellington, Conn.) was next in 11th place with a time of 25:40. Junior Joe Ryan (Chelmsford, Mass.) was 17th overall with a time of 25:47, while senior Tim Catoggio (Bradford, Mass.) and sophomore Matt Meagher (Mansfield, Mass.) rounded out the Stonehill scoring by placing 25th and 35th, respectively, with times of 26:07 and 26:25.

The Skyhawk women also notched a third place finish in the final team standings, as Stonehill placed behind only Tufts (55 points) and The College of New Jersey (69 points) in posting a team score of 101 points. Seniors Kelly Chaisson (Walpole, Mass.) and Dana DeIngenis (Cranston, R.I.) finished seventh and eighth, respectively, for the Skyhawks with times of 19:00 and 19:02, while senior Jill Allen (Peabody, Mass.) and freshman Andrea Topalis (Simsbury, Conn.) placed 23rd and 27th, respectively, with times of 19:33 and 19:38 over the 5K layout. Junior Lesley Clunie (Newburyport, Mass.) closed out the scoring for Stonehill by finishing 38th with a time of 19:48.

Both Stonehill squads return to action next Saturday morning when the Skyhawks head to North Dartmouth, Mass. to participate in the UMass Dartmouth Invitational, as the women's race begins at 10:30 a.m. followed by the men's race at 11:30 a.m.