Thursday, September 16, 2010

Trinity Invite @ Wickham Park

The XC team started the season off the past week with the Trinity Invitational @ Wickham Park in Manchester, CT.  The teams were anticipating good competition for the day as the guys ran the 5k course against 6 other teams, while the women were faced with running the 4k course against 5 other teams.  The day wasn't bad and it was good weather all around. As we remember from the pouring rain that occurred last year at the same event, the weather was as the runners said, "the perfect day." You can never expect what the weather will be like during the XC season as runners run through rain, sun, and mud. As the teams garnered their nerves for most the first meet as a collegiate athlete or for some the last XC season, the were ready to show that all the hard training wasn't being put to waste, as they were ready to battle "The Big Green Monster".
Girls Getting Ready to Run. L to R: Catherine Carey,
 Jen Flores,  Rebecca Mendes, and Megan Barry

On the girls side, the winner of the meet was Stonehill for the women.  The first runner that came in was from American International College, Jeptui Cherutich came in at a time of 16:21 for the 4k course. The first Hawk to come in was Freshman Megan Barry.  She came in 12th place out of the 67 person field, while coming in at a time of 17:03 for the course.  She is expected to do big things for the Hawks this year, so look out for her during the upcoming years.  The next Hawk to come was Senior Marisa Poleto in a time of 17:37 finishing 20th.  In her first season on the XC team, she is doing very well and we hope she continues to be that factor in the team.  Right behind her in 21st place was Freshman teammate Jen Flores.  She finished the course also in 17:37 with Marisa. To round out the top 25 spots, Sophomore Kayla Koonz finished in the 4th spot for the Hawks in the team scoring.  She finished 25th overall with a time of 17:43. The fifth and final Hawk to cross the line in the team scoring was Sophomore Stephanie Curcio.  She finished the course 30th in a time of 18:15. Finishing behind her were teammates Rebecca Mendes, Catherine Carey, and Leslie Garabedian. With the scoring following the meet, the women placed 3rd out of 7.

I had a little conversation with Kayla Koonz and Megan Barry about the race and what they felt during the day and this is what they had to say:

"Leading up to the start of the race, I was extremely nervous. I was hoping our freshman weren't getting psyched out because it was their first college meet and that my training had actually done its job! Talking to the girls at the start and being on the line, I got pumped. Everything just felt right. Everyone was focused and they all knew what they had to do. During the race, I actually just focused on my form. I know that has been my biggest obstacle in past years. I have always had a problem with keeping my body relaxed while running which caused cramps and just a bad mental state. When I was finishing, I looked up at the clock and it just made me go faster. I didn't think I was running that fast and when I crossed with a 17:43 I was ecstatic. I dropped major time from last year and I just generally felt better racing. Also, it was a great feeling working together with my team mates to try and stay up in the top 30. I was near Jen and Marisa and we kept yelling at each other to push us so we kept moving up. Overall it was just a great race. Our team was supportive and we work really well together. We're a young team, so we have a great 3 years ahead of us."
                                                                             -Kayla Koonz

It was my first college race. I had talked to Kayla the day before about nerves and what it was like to race in college and she told me it was just the same as racing in high school, except your older now. So, I followed my normal racing schedule for the night before. We went to the boys apartment and they cooked us pasta and stuffed us with carbs to ready us for the next morning.  The course wasn’t too bad, nothing we hadn’t trained for. The course started with a small bump and after not too long after that another hill followed.  It was relatively flat as we made our way through the paths, inclined again as we made our way back over to where everybody was waiting for us to cheer us on. After a nice downhill, we had about a quarter of a mile before we hit the big hill. In retrospect, it really wasn’t as bad as everyone thought. It was merely the placement of it that made everyone dread it so much. After running hard for about a mile an half, even a tiny hill looks like a mountain, but once we made it up the hill, the worst was over and it was all downhill until the end. After running through some more trails and past the birdcages, I finally rounded the corner and headed up the last hill to the finish. Overall, I was happy with my performance. I felt much more tired than I had expected to feel, but was reassured by my teammates that it was just my body getting used to the new training and that it would get better with time.  The entire team ran great and everybody was very supportive of each other.  My first college race was a great experience, and it was a good time to bond with my new teammates. I can honestly say that I am proud to be a member of the University of Hartford Cross Country family."
                                                                            -Megan Barry


Andy and Jonas running together.
"Team's work better when we stick together"

On the guys side of the race, the winner was also Stonehill. The first runner that came in for the guys was Glarius Rop of American International College in the time of 15:22.  For the guys the first Hawk to come in was Junior Andy Chalmers.  He finished 6th out of the 82 person field in the time of 16:17.  A very strong returner for the Hawks, Andy is showing good promise through his years here and is sure he will continue his success.  The next runner to come if for the Hawks was Senior Jonas Hampton. He finished 9th in the field while running 16:37 in the course. Junior Wayne Lawrence crossed the finish line 16th with a time of 16:50 and following close behind was Junior Kevin Brandon finishing 18th with a time of 16:52.  The fifth Hawk to cross the line was Sophomore Bobby Giuliani. He finished 20th in the time of 16:57, finishing out the scoring for the Hawks team.  Right behind Bobby was Junior Eric Flaman, finishing in the time of 16:58.  Behind Eric finishing for the Hawks was John Busque, Josh Hummel, Brian Famigletti, and Chris Rodriguez. When the runners places were totalled, the men placed 2nd in the meet behind Stonehill. 

Both finishes were top places for the Hawks as they continue their success in this season.  This is a big momentum builder for the meets to come.  The next meet for the Hawks is at the 2nd Annual Riverfront Invite right here in Hartford.  

For complete results of the meet click on the links below.


                                                               

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