BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Vermont Catamounts men's cross country team set a program record and the women made sizable improvements on last year's results when they raced in the NCAA Northeast Regional Friday at Audubon Golf Course.
John Benner led the UVM men (354 pts.) to a program-best 13th-place in the team competition, which was a nine-place improvement from last season's race. The Vermont women (470 pts.) were led by sophomore
Annemarie Martell to 16th place in the team competition, four spots ahead of last year's results. The men's 10K was won by No. 12 Syracuse (79 pts.) while America East champion Paul Hogan won the individual race. In the women's 6K, No. 20 Columbia (41 pts.) won the team competition and Syracuse's Shannon Malone took the individual title.
RELATED LINKS
MEN'S 10K RESULTS | WOMEN'S 6K RESULTS
COACH'S QUOTE
"We raced the course conditions very well today," said head coach
Matt Belfield. "The men took the advice of associate head coach
Joe Gingras to heart and executed well from the start to finish.
John Benner was tremendous and
Will LaCroix set the tone early and rallied late for his best career performance. I'm so pleased with Will's leadership this season. Our men earning their best Regional finish ever was a tribute to everyone buying into a team commitment."
When talking about the women's team, Belfield said, "
Annemarie Martell ran another fantastic race today and all seven women clearly gave their best. We moved up nicely in the second half as everyone stayed engaged even as the snow and mud accumulated. I want to acknowledge
Samantha Sayer and
Lauren Trumble for four great years of making it to this NCAA level. Lauren's leadership is something I value more than I can say. Our seniors have given us great momentum for next year and I know I can count on strong leadership from our returners."
"Overall a great season for both teams. Thanks to my staff of Joe,
Thomas O'Leary, and
Brianna Welch for all they do," concluded Belfield.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Benner raced to 39th overall with a time of 33:57.0, which was a 53.4 second improvement from last season's race and a personal best.
- Tyler Marshall (66th) was the second to cross the line for the Vermont men with a time of 34:31.5.
- Senior captain Will LaCroix (74th) finished his UVM cross country career also set a personal-best time of 34:35.0.
- Neville Caulfield (84th) and Luke Petela (91st) rounded out the Catamounts' scorers in the men's 10K.
- Martell crossed the finish line as the women's frontrunner in 23:06.6 for 63rd overall.
- Maggie Hallahan (92nd) and Samantha Sayer (95th) finished almost consecutively with times of 23:35.9 and 23:38.2, respectively.
- Lauren Trumble (108th) and Phoebe Koski (122nd) rounded out the Vermont scorers in the women's 6K.
NOTES
- The men's 13th-place finish was also the highest finish in the last decade. The previous mark was set in 2009 and 2016 with 20th-place finishes
- John Benner had the best individual finish in the Northeast Regional for the Vermont men in the last decade with his 39th-place overall finish
WHAT'S NEXT
The Catamounts conclude the 2018 cross country season, but many of the student-athletes gear up for the upcoming indoor track season, which begins Dec. 1 in Burlington. Fans are encouraged to watch head coach
Matt Belfield on Facebook Live Friday (Nov. 16) at 4 p.m. as he sits down with Maura Sheridan at The Bagel Place to discuss the transition from cross country to indoor track.
