Freshman Erin Carmone became Stonehill's fourth All-American with her program-best 23rd-place finish at the NCAA Division II Championships in Evansville, Ind. |
Carmone Runs All-America Race, Leads #17 Stonehill to 16th at NCAA II Championships
Riverside, R.I., native places 23rd overall to become program's fourth All-American
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (November 21, 2009) - Stonehill College, behind the All-America performance of freshman Erin Carmone (Riverside, R.I./East Providence), placed 16th at the 2009 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, hosted by the University of Southern Indiana, this afternoon.
Carmone, who becomes the fourth U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-American in the history of the women's cross country program at Stonehill, finished 23rd out of 184 individuals overall as she completed the six-kilometer course in 21:33.7 - 43-seconds quicker than her 6K time of 22:16.5 to win the East Regional Championship in Boston two weeks ago. Her 23rd-place finish is tops for a Stonehill runner ever at the nationals and was the fourth-best time among freshmen competing today.
"Erin is just a gamer and her competitive drive is phenomenal," said Stonehill head coach Karen Boen, in her tenth season at the College. "I thought she could be an All-American, but you never know how a freshman will react under the pressure. She ran a great race, she ran like a senior."
Freshman Lynley Joynt turned in a 77th place finish in her first National Championship race. |
Stonehill posted a team score of 367 to place 16th as a team - five places better than the Skyhawks 21st-place finish in 2008 and their best team finish since taking 14th in 2004. Adams State College won the team title for the seventh-straight year (15th National Championship overall) with 73 points, edging Grand Valley State (81 points), while Missouri Southern University (104) rounded out the top three. Seattle Pacific University senior Jessica Pixler became the first three-time NCAA Division II individual champion with a time of 20:22.6.
Freshman Lynley Joynt (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) was next across the finish line for Stonehill with a time of 22:41.1 for 77th place overall. Sophomore Jill Alves (Whitman, Mass./Whitman-Hanson Regional) placed 110th in 23:12.0 - 45 spots higher than her finish at the 2008 NCAA Championships. Freshmen Kristen Veit (Easthampton, Mass./Holyoke Catholic) and Jessica Jarrard (Shrewsbury, Mass./Hudson Catholic) rounded out the Skyhawks scoring runners in 117th and 120th overall, respectively. Veit completed the 6K in 23:18.9, while Jarrard posted a time of 23:21.2.
"I think we figured based on season times the best we could hope for was 15th," said Boen. "Everyone ran faster than when we were here (in Evansville) for the Pre-National (Invitational), which under the pressure of the championship speaks volumes for their composure."
Stonehill, ranked 17th in the most recent USTFCCCA Division II national poll and first in the East Region for the tenth-straight week, was making its tenth-straight appearance at the NCAA Division II Championships. The Skyhawks captured their eighth NCAA East Regional and Northeast-10 Conference championships this fall. Carmone was named the USTFCCCA Women's East Region Athlete of the Year, while Boen earned East Region Coach of the Year honors for the eighth time.
