Stonehill earned its fifth Northeast-10 Championship in as many seasons with the program's win today. |
Bishop, Regan, freshmen duo pace Skyhawks in convincing win
Manchester, N.H. (October 27, 2013) – The Stonehill College women's cross country team, ranked 22nd in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division II poll, and ranked first in the East Region, earned its fifth consecutive Northeast-10 Championship dating back to 2009, and 12th in program history, winning today with a dominant 35 point effort on the campus of host school Saint Anselm College. Stonehill's top five finishers all posted personal bests.
For the fourth time this season, senior captain Chelsea Bishop (Suffield, Conn./Suffield) was Stonehill's top finisher in a race, placing third today among 149 participants and clocking in at 18:04, a mere five seconds out of the top spot.
Fellow senior captain Emily Regan (Hanson, Mass./Whitman-Hanson Regional) followed Bishop in fifth place, completing the five-kilometer course in 18:24. Crossing the finish line seventh, Aisha McAdams (North Kingstown, R.I./North Kingstown) became the first freshman to finish the race, doing so in 18:40. Just two spots behind her was classmate Nicole Borofski (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North), clocking in at 18:47. Overall, four Skyhawks finished in the top 10 of today's race, which was instrumental in the team's convincing victory.
Senior captain Chelsea Bishop finished third overall and posted a personal best time of 18:04 in Stonehill's victory today. |
Sitting just outside the top ten was junior Brittany Venturo (Taunton, Mass./Coyle & Cassidy), who was the fifth Skyhawk to finish, placing 11th with a time of 18:55. The final two Stonehill participants to earn points in today's race were junior Emily Anderson (Manchester, Conn./Manchester), and Alexandra Buonfiglio (Lynnfield, Mass./Lynnfield), yet another freshman. Anderson placed 22nd in 19:17, and Buonfiglio wrapped up Stonehill's scoring with a 24th place finish, doing so in 19:18.
Northeast-10 Men's and Women's Coach of the Year Karen Boen was effusive in her praise of Stonehill's freshmen runners. "Before today's race, they ask us to nominate a freshman for NE-10 Rookie of the Year. This was very difficult, because we have several freshmen who have made an impact throughout the course of this season."
McAdams and Borofski garnered All-Conference honors at the conclusion of today's race, and Borofski was named the Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Year.
Boen also stressed the importance of her team's depth to its success not just today, but this entire season. "We are never going to have a Michael Biwott, but today all twelve of our women finished in the top-45, and seven of them finished in the top-25", Boen said. "Despite what some people think, it is a team game, and very important to have depth from top to bottom, which I think we have."
American International College junior Alexandra Stasiuk (Surrey, B.C./Elgin Park) won the individual title, but was the lone Yellow Jacket to finish in the top 35, as American International placed ninth in team scoring. Saint Michael's College finished second to Stonehill with 103 points, followed by Bentley College with 130 points. Merrimack College placed fourth with 147 total points, and Southern New Hampshire rounded out the top five with 156 points.
Following today's Northeast-10 Conference Championship, Stonehill returns to action on November 10th at the NCAA Division II East Regional Championships, held at Franklin Park in Dorchester, Mass., and hosted by Stonehill.
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Northeast-10 Year End Awards
Women's Athlete of the Year – Tara Dooley, Bentley
Women's Rookie of the Year – Nicole Borofski, Stonehill
Women's Coach of the Year - Karen Boen, Stonehill
Northeast-10 Women's Cross Country First Team All-Conference
Alexandra Stasiuk, American International
Amy Varsell, Bentley
Chelsea Bishop, Stonehill
Betsy Eickelberg, Adelphi
Emily Regan, Stonehill
Ashley Nichols, Bentley
Aisha McAdams, Stonehill
Northeast-10 Women's Cross Country Second Team All-Conference
Chloe Boutelle, Saint Michael's
Nicole Borofski, Stonehill
Rachel Strong, Le Moyne
Brittany Venturo, Stonehill
Lindy Heffernan, Saint Michael's
Fiona Coleman, Merrimack
Bianca Jordan, Saint Rose
Northeast-10 Women's Cross Country Third Team All-Conference
Madeline Hayes, Southern New Hampshire
Sarah Vaughan, Southern Connecticut
Jordan Westcott, Saint Rose
Colleen Gilliatt, Saint Michael's
Alyssa Lambert, Franklin Pierce
Kristin Schmidt, Merrimack
Titilayo Vanriel, Southern Connecticut
