Metzger Becomes Third All-America Performer In Men's Cross Country History With 24th Place Finish As Skyhawks Match Best Team Finish Ever With 12th Place Performance At NCAA Division II National Championships

November 19, 2005

STONEHILL CROSS COUNTRY

2005 NCAA Division II National Championships

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Prado Park, Chino, Calif.

CHINO, Calif.-- Both Stonehill cross country teams survived temperatures in the upper 80's to post top 20 finishes in the final team standings at the 2005 NCAA Division II National Championships on Saturday afternoon, as the Skyhawk men matched their best finish ever by placing 12th overall and the Skyhawk women placed 19th in the team standings in competition hosted by Cal Poly-Pomona at Prado Park.

Sophomore David Metzger (Ellington, Conn.) led the way on the men's side for Stonehill in becoming the third All-America performer in the program's history, as he completed the 10K layout in a time of 32:31.9 to finish 24th individually, the highest ever for a Skyhawk men's performer at the NCAA national championships. Metzger joins former Stonehill standouts Mario Fraioli and Sean McKeon in earning All-America honors, as Fraioli copped the honor in 2003 and McKeon earned All-America accolades in 2004.

Junior Tim Catoggio (Bradford, Mass.) was next in 71st place for Stonehill with a time of 33:56.6, while senior T.J. Smith (East Bridgewater, Mass.) finished 74th with a time of 34:02.2. Sophomore Joe Ryan (Chelmsford, Mass.) and junior Joe Soul (Carver, Mass.) closed out the scoring for the Skyhawks by placing 97th and 116th, respectively, with times of 34:38.3 and 35:14.3.

On the women's side, senior Erin Smith (Brockton, Mass.) led the way for Stonehill with a time of 23:23.4 over the 6K layout, good for 58th place individually, while junior Dana DeIngenis (Cranston, R.I.) followed in 81st place with a time of 23:46.3. Senior Kaitlin Buckley (North Kingstown, R.I.) was next in 103rd place with a time of 24:14.4, while junior Lauren Eynatian (Chelmsford, Mass.) and senior Kristen Metzger (Ellington, Conn.) rounded out the Skyhawk scoring by placing 136th and 143rd, respectively, with times of 24:52.5 and 25:09.3.

Western State (Colo.) took top honors on the men's side with a team score of 51 points, while Adams State (Colo,) finished a distant second with 108 points. Adams State took the women's national championship with a team score of 54 points, while Grand Valley State was second with 69 points. The weather was the big story of the day, as high temperatures and humidity kept a total of 16 individuals from completing their respective races.

Metzger and Stonehill Head Coach Karen Boen were honored in post-race festivities, as Boen was named earlier this month as the NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Coach of the Year after guiding the Skyhawks to their first-ever regional title.