HOLMDEL, N.J. - Battling the cold, rain, winds and at some points snow, the Monmouth University women's and men's cross country teams both finished third at the 2011 Northeast Conference Championships at Holmdel Park. Senior Jennifer Nelson (Barnegat, N.J./Barnegat [Ocean County College]), junior Kelsey Maher (Jackson, N.J./Jackson) earned All-NEC for the women's squad, while rookie Khari Bowen (Monroe, N.J./Monroe Township) claimed All-NEC accolades for the men's squad, missing the top freshman title by one spot.
"Both our teams ran very tough on their home course in some very challenging conditions," said head coach Joe Compagni. "Jen was super today and close to grabbing another NEC title, Kelsey added a great effort for the women's team and Khari put together a very impressive race in his first NEC Championships to lead the men."
Quinnipiac claimed the women's crown for the seventh-straight time with 44 points, followed by Sacred Heart which tallied 75 points. The Hawks claimed 91 points, while Central Connecticut State finished eight tallies behind the Blue and White. St. Francis (Pa.) and Robert Morris finished fifth and sixth with 107 and 147 points, respectively, while Bryant claimed seventh with 192 tallies. Mount St. Mary's (221), Wagner (229), St. Francis (N.Y.) (283), Fairleigh Dickinson (332) and Long Island (383) rounded out the 12-team field.
Nelson claimed third overall for the Hawks, who finished top-three for the fifth-straight season, posting a time of 18:52.9 on the 5k course. Nelson, who claimed her second career all-league accolades, finished the highest for MU's women's team since Cailin Lynam took third in 2007 and 2008. Maher, who also earned her second-straight league accolade, finished 10th crossing the finish line in 19:23.2, followed by classmate Amanda Eller (Delmont, N.J./Millville) who placed 19th with a time of 19:46.3. Junior Emily MacEwen (South Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) finished in 19:57.8 in 26th place, followed by sophomore Mackenzie Roche (Freehold, N.J./Freehold) who took 35th with a time of 20:14.5. Three second later, sophomore Lucia Montefusco (Levittown, N.Y./MacArthur) rounded out the Hawks' top-seven, finishing 39th.
The Blue Devils took the men's crown, winning their third-straight championships, totaling 54 points followed by St. Francis (Pa.) with 67 points. MU and Mount St. Mary's each claimed a share of third, both compiling 131 points. The Hawks, who finished top-four in five out of the last six years, recorded their highest finish since claiming second in 2006 and 2007. Robert Morris and Quinnipiac finished with 163 and 171 points, respectively, good for fifth and sixth. The Seahawks finished two points behind the Bobcats in seventh and five points ahead of Sacred Heart, which was followed by St. Francis (N.Y.) in eighth with 185 points. Bryant (195), Long Island (305) and Fairleigh Dickinson (362) rounded out the field.
Bowen earned his first all-conference honors with his ninth place finish on the challenging 8k course with a time of 27:08.20. The rookie was followed by senior Dan Collura (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) who finished 18th, with a time of 27:23.5. Garth DeBlasio (Millstone, N.J./Allentown) was the next Hawk to cross the finish line, as the senior completed the event in 27:50.0, while sophomore Seth Robbins (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) and senior Ryan Mulligan (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan) posted times of 28:13.6 and 28:22.5, respectively, good for 39th and 43rd overall. Jeffrey Ascough (Toms River, N.J./Toms River East) finished in 28:27.2 which landed the junior in 47th overall followed by sophomore Dakota Dalzell (Margate, N.J./Atlantic City) who finished the race in 28:52.8 to round out the Hawks' top-seven.
Compagni added, "We had a great contingent of Monmouth parents, alums, track teammates and fans there bracing the elements with us to support the team which was tremendous."
Both squads will return to action in two weeks at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships hosted by Maryland-Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Maryland on November 12.
