University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
BIG EAST Preview
Women's Cross Country Places Second at BIG EAST Preview
9/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Sept. 11, 2010
STORRS, Conn. - BIG EAST Preview Results in PDF Format 
CCSU Blue Devil Invite Results in PDF Format
The University of Connecticut women's cross country team placed second today at the BIG EAST Preview in Syracuse, N.Y. Connecticut earned 47 points and finished behind only No. 9 Syracuse. The Huskies defeated No. 15 West Virginia along with two other BIG EAST opponents in USF and DePaul. Sophomore Shauna McNiff (Hingham, Mass.) had the top showing for the Huskies, placing fourth in the 5K event with a time of 19:17. West Virginia's Kaitlyn Gillespie took first with a time of 18:28.2.
"Our group at Syracuse did exactly what I wanted them to do - get out there and run hard and gain experience on the course that we will race the BIG EAST Championships on in another 7 weeks. Shauna McNiff had a great day and I know there is a lot more in the tank. I am excited to see her progress throughout the season as she continues to gain in confidence and realize that she belongs among the top runners in the conference," said Coach Andrea Grove-McDonough.
"Overall I was pleased with my performance today and I am excited to continue to challenge myself throughout the season and watch the team progress. Today just made me more determined to match strides with the best runners in our conference and not shy away from that. I know I'm willing to do the work and I fully expect it to pay off later in the season," said McNiff.
The Huskies had three student-athletes place in the top-10 and eight place in the top-20. Freshman Allison Lasnicki (Canastota, N.Y.) continued the impressive start to her collegiate career with an eighth-place showing in 19:26.1. Lasnicki defeated all competitors at the Army Invitational on September 3. Joining McNiff and Lasnicki in the top-10 was senior Heather Wilson (Homer, N.Y.) with a time of 19:29.6.
Junior Courtney Dinnan (Hamden, Conn.) and freshman Lauren Sara (Stratford, Conn.) were right behind in 12th and 13th, respectively. Dinnan crossed the line at 19:40.8 while Sara finished her first collegiate race in 19:42.3.
Senior Leah Andrianos (East Syracuse, N.Y.) (19:47.6) placed 17th, sophomore Kimberly Moran (Brightwaters, N.Y.) (19:50.6) placed 18th and freshman Annabel Clarke (Rhinebeck, N.Y.) (19:52.8) finished in 19th.
"We had another great performance by freshman Allison Lasnicki and junior Heather Wilson really stepped up big time. We had great team chemistry out there and some nice performances all around, but I still see a lot of areas that we can improve and that's a good thing," added Grove-McDonough.
The meet, which included five other BIG EAST teams, gave runners a chance to experience the course at Jamesville Beach Park and prepare for the BIG EAST Championship
Connecticut also sent a group of runners to the Central Connecticut State Blue Devil Invite on Saturday and placed third out of 10 teams. The Huskies were led by junior Christine Vogel (Glastonbury, Conn.) who placed ninth with a time of 18:18. Vogel ran a 5:54 pace to finish in the top-10. The Huskies scored 88 points to place third. BIG EAST counterpart Providence College placed first as a team with 25 points.
Led by Vogel, Connecticut had five runners finish in the top-25. Freshman Cassondra Hunter (Preston, Conn.) finished the race in 18:36 to place 15th. Sophomore Jeanne Theleen (Southbury, Conn.) finished 19th (18:45) with freshman Stephanie Ellis (Gardner, Mass.) and senior Christine Meagher (West Roxbury, Mass.) close behind in 22nd and 23rd. Ellis crossed the line at 18:59 while Meagher finished in 19:00.
"The group we had at Central really put up a good fight against a top ranked Providence team and a tough Quinnipiac squad so I was proud of them for that. The bright spot of the meet was the resurgence of junior Christine Vogel who should be a top nine kid for us in the end. I was also encouraged by the continued improvement of freshman Cassandra Hunter," concluded Grove-McDonough.
The Huskies will compete next in a pair of meets on Saturday, September 15. UConn will send runners to the CCSU Invitational in New Britain, Conn. and to the Roy Griak Invitational on the University of Minnesota.
Players Mentioned
