Regis Cross Country Continues Solid Season
HOPKINTON, N.H. – While two members of the Regis College women's cross country team finished in the top five, the Pride men's cross country squad also produced several personal best performances as they competed at the Bruce Kirsh Cross Country Cup, hosted by Franklin Pierce University Saturday at the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds.
In the women's five-kilometer race, Ashleigh Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.) once again ran at the front of the pack, finishing second overall and first among competitors from Division III schools with a collegiate-best time of 18:34.0, setting a program record for fastest five-kilometer time. She cut 43.5 seconds off her previous best established earlier this season.
Erin Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.) also posted a time much faster than her previous collegiate best, ending up over a minute quicker than her time at the Wellesley College Invitational with a mark of 19:02.5, finishing fifth overall and second among runners from Division III programs. Fellow senior Lizzy Melvin (Southington, Conn.) ran a collegiate-best five-kilometer time as well of 21:15.2 to cross the finish line in 29th place, almost 30 seconds quicker than her previous best.
Libby Parker (Bow, N.H.) was the next finisher for Regis in a time of 23:02.7, over 40 seconds faster than her time at the Wellesley College Invitational at the beginning of the season. Annabelle Jean-Philippe (Randolph, Mass.) was right behind Parker with a time of 24:23.0, just ahead of teammate Katie Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.) in 24:25.3, with both marks also five-kilometer collegiate bests.
As a team, the Regis women finished in fourth place with 81 points, just behind the 74 points of Bridgewater State but ahead of fellow conference schools Lasell and Dean. St. Anselm took the team competition with 28 points after placing five runners in the top 10, followed by host Franklin Pierce with 60 points.
Benjamin Happenny (Woonsocket, R.I.) was the first Regis competitor to finish the men's eight-kilometer race, posting a collegiate-best time of 28:17.2 to finish 25th overall and seventh among runners from Division III schools. Zach Sigman (Buffalo, N.Y.) cut almost three full minutes off his previous top eight-kilometer time, posting a mark of 29:07.6 to end up in 32nd place overall.
Michael Carroll (Lynn, Mass.) crossed the finish line in 41st place overall with a collegiate-best time of 29:59.8, just ahead of Gustavo Novelle-Ruddy (Boston, Mass.) in 43rd place in 30:11.4. AJ Corso (Broad Brook, Conn.) posted a time of 30:38.6, followed by Brett Kiesel (Rocky Hill, Conn.) with a mark of 32:04.1 and Ben O'Neal (New Britain, Conn.) in 40:56.0.
The Pride ended up in fifth place in the team standings with 157 points, in front of GNAC schools Emmanuel and Dean. Franklin Pierce cruised to the team title by placing five runners within the top six places, with Bridgewater State first among Division III teams.
The Regis College cross country team will next compete at the Suffolk Invitational Saturday, Oct. 16 at Franklin Park in Boston, getting a preview of the venue that will also host the GNAC Championships Oct. 30 and the NCAA New England Regional Championships Nov. 13.