WESTON, Mass. – The Regis men's and women's cross country teams dealt with injuries and unexpected departures during the 2018 season, but were able to complete the year with solid results at the championship meets.
The women's team was led by juniors Maggie Mann (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) and Maddie Boucias (Buckland, Mass.). After missing the first meet, Mann was the top finisher for the Pride in each of the remaining six events, including four top-five finishes. For the second straight year, Mann finished fourth at the GNAC Championships to earn First Team All-GNAC honors, and then she wrapped up the season by finishing 107th out of over 400 runners at the NCAA New England Regional Championships.
Boucias crossed the finish line within the top 15 runners on five occasions, highlighted by a ninth place finish at the Suffolk Invitational. At the GNAC Championships, she ended up in 10th place to earn Second Team All-GNAC honors for the second straight year, followed by a finish within the upper half of the field at the NCAA Regional Championships.
Freshman Ashleigh Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.) emerged as Regis's third runner during the season, starting with a 20th-place finish at the season-opening Wellesley Invitational. She also picked up Second Team All-GNAC honors thanks to a 13th-place showing at the GNAC Championships, and then she also ended up in the top half of finishers at the regional meet to cap off the season.
Fellow freshmen Desiree Jones (Oceanside, Calif.), Erin Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.), and Lizzy Melvin (Southington, Conn.) gained valuable experience, while junior Joelle Bockus (Windham, Maine) showed improvement as the year went along. With everyone eligible to return next year, the Regis women will have an opportunity to improve upon their fifth-place finish at the conference meet.
On the men's side, Jovan Sematimba (Burlington, Mass.) led the Pride throughout the season, finishing in the top 20 five times during the year. After a 17th-place finish at the GNAC Championships, Sematimba posted a personal best eight-kilometer time of 28:16.07 to finish in 167th place at the NCAA New England Regional Championships, the highest placement by a Pride male runner in that competition.
Sean Toomey (Salem, N.H.) finished among the top 20 runners in four events, capped by an 18th-place finish at the GNAC Championships. Veteran competitors JJ Pedersen (Milford, Conn.), Shane Romanchick (Trumbull, Conn.), Nicholas Sahagian (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), and Matt Sowden (Scituate, R.I.) also made contributions at different times during the season.
Among the freshmen, Gustavo Novelle-Ruddy (Boston, Mass.) was the most consistent, completing six events during the year. Henry Walker (Brookline, Mass.) finished 14th at the Wellesley Invitational, but battled injuries most of the season, while Christian Hendricks (Edgewater, Md.) was finally able to compete in the championship meets, emerging as Regis's fifth runner at both the GNAC Championships and the regional meet. Losing only Romanchick to graduation, the Regis men will also aim to improve from a fifth-place performance at the conference championships.
Several members of the cross country team will now concentrate on track and field, helping the Pride defend their GNAC outdoor track and field titles from last spring.