FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2013
RECORD BOOK | PROGRAM | MEN'S COURSE | WOMEN'S COURSE
Skyhawk men searching for third straight
title on Sunday, women seek 12th in 14 years
SOUTH EASTON, Mass. – As voted upon by the league's head coaches, Stonehill College has been selected to win both the men's and women's 2013 Northeast-10 Conference Cross Country Championships, which will take place Sunday morning on the campus of Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.
The two-time defending champion Stonehill men received 186 points and seven first-place votes, narrowly topping Franklin Pierce University, which garnered 181 points and a matching seven first-place votes.
In the women's poll, the Skyhawks received 196 points and 14 first-place tallies in the voting, having won four straight titles and 11 over the past 13 years.
Now in her 16th season, Stonehill head coach Karen Boen has led the Skyhawks to a sweep of Northeast-10 titles in the men's and women's races each of the last two years and three of four overall. Since 2002, no Stonehill men or women's team has finished lower than second at a conference championship.
In the men's poll, American International College finished third behind Stonehill and Franklin Pierce with 169 points, while Merrimack College and Adelphi University finished fourth and fifth with 147 and 142 points, respectively. Adelphi also claimed one first-place vote.
Rounding out the top-10 was Assumption College in sixth with 133 points, followed by Bentley University with 118 points, Southern Connecticut State University with 105 points, The College of Saint Rose with 103 points, and the University of New Haven with 70 points.
In the women's poll, Bentley finished second to the Skyhawks with 171 points and one first-place vote, while Merrimack placed third with 159 points. Saint Rose finished fourth with 142 points and Adelphi took the fifth position with 132 points.
Host Saint Anselm received 114 points to lay claim to the sixth spot, while So. Connecticut (113 points) and Southern New Hampshire University (112) were just off that pace. Saint Michael's College appeared ninth in the women's poll with 108 points and American Int'l was 10th with 97 points.
To view the complete poll results for both of the upcoming championship events, please see below.
American Int'l sophomore Michael Biwott, who last year won the men's individual title and took home Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year honors, will look to become the fourth male repeat winner in conference history.
Biwott has been named USTFCCCA National Runner of the Week three times this fall, once following his first-place finish at the New England Championships at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass., which featured mostly Division I competition. His time of 23:43.62 at New Englands was the fastest at the meet in over a decade and 18 seconds faster than the runner-up.
Adelphi sophomore Nick Filippazzo has also enjoyed a stellar season thus far, claiming a pair of Northeast-10 Male Athlete of the Week honors this fall. He most recently finished first at the Albany Invitational, topping a field of mostly Division I runners in 25:18.
The Stonehill men will turn to a deep roster in its quest for a third straight Northeast-10 crown, and will be led by captains Bryan Wilcox, Trent Fontanella and Paul Cina in Manchester on Sunday.
Six of the top-seven performers at last year's men's championship were seniors, which means there will be a great deal of turnover on this year's Northeast-10 All-Conference First Team.
Among the women's field of runners, Bentley junior Tara Dooley finished second at the Northeast-10 Championship a year ago, and this year has received three Northeast-10 Women's Athlete of the Week awards. Dooley also finished third at the New England Championships in Boston earlier this month.
Saint Michael's College junior Chloe Boutelle has won three straight races, and most recently set a new course record at the Green Mountain Invitational. She finished fourth overall at last year's championship.
Stonehill seniors Chelsea Bishop and Elizabeth LaRegina have both received one Northeast-10 Athlete of the Week honor each this fall, as Bishop is coming off of a sixth-place finish at last year's conference championship
Adelphi senior Elizabeth Eickelberg will also look to make an impact on Sunday, as she has twice received Northeast-10 Athlete of the Week honors this fall, after a seventh-place finish last year.
This year, the men's race will take place at 10:00 a.m. with the women's race to follow at 11:00 a.m., and an awards ceremony will follow the women's race at Saint Anselm. Be sure to follow the Northeast-10 on Twitter (@TheNortheast10) for live championship updates and winners.
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
2013 Northeast-10 Men's Cross Country Championship Coaches Poll
1. Stonehill – 186 (7)
2. Franklin Pierce – 181 (7)
3. American International – 169
4. Merrimack – 147
5. Adelphi – 142 (1)
6. Assumption – 133
7. Bentley – 118
8. Southern Connecticut – 105
9. Saint Rose – 103
10. New Haven – 70
11. Saint Anselm – 65
12. Saint Michael's – 55
13. Le Moyne – 49
14. Southern New Hampshire – 30
15. Pace – 22
2013 Northeast-10 Women's Cross Country Championship Coaches Poll
1. Stonehill – 196 (14)
2. Bentley – 171 (1)
3. Merrimack – 159
4. Saint Rose – 142
5. Adelphi – 132
6. Saint Anselm – 114
7. Southern Connecticut – 113
8. Southern New Hampshire – 112
9. Saint Michael's – 108
10. American International – 97
11. Le Moyne – 61
12. Assumption 57
13. Franklin Pierce – 48
14. New Haven – 43
15. Pace – 22
( ) - indicates first-place votes
– #NE10 –
