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About The Meet
- Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014, the Minutewomen head to Pittsburgh, Pa. for the Atlantic 10 Championships.
-The race is expected to begin at 10:00 a.m. in Schenley Park.
-The race is 5K in length, incorporating open grassy fields with a wooded environment. While the open areas of the course are spectator friendly, much of the race is run in the surrounding forest of Schenley Park.
-The first 1.5 miles are downhill, then the course begins to climb uphill in the second half of the race. Elevations swing from 875 - 1,150 feet.
-Weather in Pittsburgh Saturday is expected to be a chilly 45 degrees. There is a 50% chance of rain and snow showers.
- UMass placed fifth as a team at the 2013 Atlantic 10 Championship, led by current senior Rachel Hilliard's 19th place finish.
Last Time Out
- UMass traveled to Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Conn. for the CCSU Mini-Meet on Friday, October 24, 2014.
-The Minutewomen finished 15th out of 20 teams. Meg Rodowicz led UMass with a 77th overall finish in a crowd of 129. She finished the three kilometer course with a time of 11:23.75.
Hilliard Honored
- Rachel Hilliard received honors following her performance in the Minutemen Invitational. The senior was named co-UMass Athlete of the Week and the Atlantic 10 Women's Cross Country Performer of the week. At the meet, Hilliard lead the Minutewomen across the line, finishing fifth out of 125 competitors with a time of 17:12 (5K).
- Hilliard was recognized as the co-UMass Athlete of the Week for the second time this season on Oct. 14, after she placed fifth out of a field of 262 runners to lead the Minutewomen to an 11th place finish at the New England Championships. Her fifth-place performance marked the best individual showing by a member of the Minutewomen since 2007 when Christina Derosa took fourth out of a field of 290 (17:58). The Hookstown, Pa., native improved upon her 26th-place finish at the meet a year ago, completing the 5K in 17 minutes, 44.8 seconds.
Debut Performances
- Six of the ten freshmen Minutewomen had their collegiate debut at the Minuteman Invitational (9/13). Kacie Quinnfinished sixth for the team and 47th overall with a time of 18:55. Next came Colleen Sands to finish seventh for the team and 54th overall with a time of 19:07. Anna Capps crossed the line at 19:11 to finish ninth for the Minutewomen and 56th overall. Callie Hansson (10th for the team, 73rd overall) debuted with a time of 19:39.Renee Capps (11th for the team, 78th overall) with her time of 19:47 and Samantha Allen (12th for the team, 84thoverall) at 19:54 round out the freshmen finishes.
- Freshman Meg Rodowicz posted a time of 24:44 in her collegiate debut at the Paul Short Invitational on Oct. 4.
Who's Back
- UMass returns 13 members of its 2013 squad that competed in at least one meet last fall. Among the Minutewomen back for 2014 are six of the team's top-seven finishers from last year's conference championship, including senior Rachel Hilliard and sophomore Christine Davis.
- Hilliard was the top finisher for UMass in six of seven meets last fall, including a 19th place finish at the Atlantic 10 Championship. She took 12th at last year's Minuteman Invitational.
New Faces
-UMass has added 10 freshmen to the roster for 2014, all hailing from the Bay State. Samantha Allen,Leila Aruri,Grace Bailly, Anna Capps, Renee Capps, Callie Hansson, Sydney May, Kacie Quinn, Meg Rodowicz and Colleen Sands join the Minutewomen this fall.
At The Helm
- Head coach Julie LaFreniere enters her 28th year at the helm of the women's cross country and track and field programs at UMass in 2014-15. LaFreniere has accumulated several coaching and team accolades during her tenure with the Minutewomen. The 1977 UMass graduate has been named the Atlantic 10 women's cross country Coach of the Year six times (1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1999) and has led the Minutewomen to seven A-10 cross country championships.
Captains Named
- Senior Katie Powers and redshirt senior Alexandra Purdue-Smithe will lead the Minutewomen as co-captains for UMass women's cross country in 2014.- Powers competed in all seven meets last season as a junior, scoring in four, with her top finish of the season coming at the CCSU Mini-Meet where she took second on the team and ninth overall with a time of 10:19.41 in the 3K. The native of Holbrook, Mass., is coming off an outstanding outdoor track & field season that saw her help the Minutewomen's 4x800 team to an A-10 Gold and third consecutive New England crown in the event.- Purdue-Smithe saw action in every race for UMass in 2013, scoring in all seven, while finishing in the team's top-three five times. The Sharon, Mass., native placed third on the team and 31st overall at the Atlantic 10 Championships last fall with a time of 18:05.5. She holds the fourth-fastest 10,000 meter time in the program's track and field record book, 37:23.57.
Preseason Predictions
- UMass was tabbed sixth out of 14 teams in the 2014 Atlantic 10 preseason poll, coming off a fifth-place finish at the 2013 Atlantic 10 Championship. The Minutewomen trailed only Duquesne, Richmond, La Salle, Saint Louis and Dayton on the list.
Next Up
- UMass will travel to the NCAA Regional Championship on Friday, Nov. 14. The race will be held in the Bronx, N.Y. in Van Cortlandt Park.
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