University of Massachusets Athletics
Women Get Set for New England Championships
October 12, 1999 | Women's Cross Country
Oct. 11, 1999
THE WEEK AHEAD: UMass travels to Boston for the New England Championships on Friday, October 15.
AT THE HALF: Midway through the season, the UMass women are hitting their stride. Senior Sally Hirsch (Brookline, Mass.) has established herself as the leader of this talented group. Hirsch has paced the Minutewomen this season with two top-ten performances in the first two meets. Hirsch has steadily improved her times at each meet this season, and has finished third or higher among UMass runners in every meet over the past two seasons. SHOWING THE WAY: Senior Nicole Way (Marstons Mills, Mass.) led the Minutewomen to an eighth place finish in the Meet of Champions. Consistency has been Way?s strength, having been among UMass? top seven finishers in every meet over the last two seasons. The 1997 All-Atlantic 10 selection ran her best time of the season at the Meet of Champions in 18:41.
HEAD COACH JULIE LaFRENIERE: Julie LaFreniere is in her 13th season at the helm of Minutewomen cross country/track & field teams. She has led the team to six out of the last eight Atlantic 10 cross country titles, including the last four in a row. While an undergraduate at UMass, LaFreniere led her team to a New England Championship and a ninth-place finish at the first women?s National Championship. The 1977 UMass graduate has been named A-10 Coach of the Year five times, in 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996 and 1997.