University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutewomen Set To Race 3K CCSU Mini Meet
October 22, 2015 | Women's Cross Country
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CCSU Mini Meet (3K) |
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Date |
Friday, Oct. 23, 2015 - 4:00 p.m. |
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Location |
Stanley Quarter Park—New Britain, Conn. |
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Teams |
Boston College, Providence, Yale, New Hampshire, Central Connecticut, Fairfield, Quinnipiac, Bryant, UMass Lowell, Holy Cross, Wagner, Hartford, Stony Brook, Boston University, Southern Connecticut State, American International, St. Francis, Fairleigh Dickenson, Sacred Heart |
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Results |
Results available following the meet on UMassAthletics.com |
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Friday’s Race
-The Minutewomen will head to the CCSU Mini Meet Friday, Oct 23 at Stanley Quarter Park in New Britain, Conn. The harriers will take on talented regional competition on the fast 3K course.
-The following runners are slated to compete: Samantha Allen, Leila Aruri, Meg Blatchford, Renee Capps, Allison Haryasz and Olivia Weir.
Last Time Out
-The UMass fought to a 13th place finish out of 39 teams at the New England Championships at Franklin Park on Oct. 10. Several key contributors were out of action for the Minutewomen, but junior Heather MacLean highlighted the day with an outstanding run. MacLean was 14th in a field of 265 runners, completing the 5K course in 18 minutes, 9.3-seconds.
- Carly Zinner was second for the team and 43rd overall at 18 minutes, 33.2-seconds. Colleen Sands, Brook Hansel, and Deirdre Martyn completed UMass' scoring finishers. Sands claimed 51st overall with a 18-minute 39.6-second run. Hansel, a freshman for the Minutewomen, ran 19 minutes, 11.0-seconds to earn 101st, while Martyn nabbed 109th with her 19:15.1 run.
Impressive Debut
- Leading the way for UMass in her collegiate debut, freshman Alexa Livingstone was the first across the finish line for the Minutewomen at the Minuteman Invitational. The Ottawa, Ontario, native placed 16th out of 82 runners, completing the 5K course in 18 minutes, 39 seconds.
Returning Runners
- The Minutewomen return 10 individuals that competed in at least one meet last fall, including six who posted scoring performances.
- Senior Carly Zinner is UMass' top returner from 2014, having finished in the No. 2 spot for UMass on four occasions last season, while scoring in all six meets she competed in overall.
- Juniors Christine Davis and Deirdre Martyn were both consistent scorers for the Minutewomen last fall, as well, placing in the team's top-five six and five times, respectively.
- Junior Heather MacLean, who missed the majority of the 2014 cross country campaign due to injury, is back for 2015 as well. MacLean finished third on the team and 22nd overall at the 2014 Atlantic 10 Championship.
Welcome To Amherst
- The Minutewomen have welcomed six freshmen to the fold for the 2015 campaign. Five of the six runners are from Massachusetts: Sydney Clary (Lincoln), Katherine Colfer (Dracut), Brook Hansel (Lunenburg), Serena Sarage (South Hadley) and Olivia Weir (Wrentham). The sixth, Alexa Livingstone, comes to the Bay State from Ottawa, Ontario where she was a Canadian Junior National qualifier, an OFSAA Junior XC Gold medalist.
Coach LaFreniere At The Helm
- UMass Head Coach Julie LaFreniere enters her 29th year as head coach of the women's cross country and track and field programs in 2015-16.
- LaFreniere, a 1977 UMass graduate, has led the Minutewomen to 11 Atlantic 10 Championships (7 Cross Country, 2 Indoor Track, 2 Outdoor Track) during her tenure and is an 11-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year.
What's Next
- UMass will run their penultimate race of the 2015 season with the Atlantic 10 Championship set for next Saturday, Oct. 31, at 10:45 a.m. at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, Va.