UMass Lowell Eighth at Iona College Meet of Champions

Saturday, September 21

New Rochelle, NY

TBA

University of Massachusetts Lowell

Iona College Meet of Champions

Freshman Padraic Donovan: 43rd overall at Iona Meet of Champions

Photo by: Bill Sabo

9/21/2013 6:28:00 PM | Men's Cross Country/Track & Field

Abdi 21st, Donovan 43rd in field of 210 runners

FULL RESULTS

BRONX (Sept. 21, 2013) – Senior Omar Abdi (Roxbury, N.Y.) placed 21^st overall and 20^th among scoring runners in a field of 210 to lead the UMass Lowell men's cross country team to eighth place at the Iona College Meet of Champions Saturday morning at Van Cortlandt Park.

UMass Lowell compiled 260 points (20, 41, 58, 69, 71 – 86, 99) while the host Gaels captured the team championship with 37 points (2, 5, 8, 10, 12). Yale took second with 97 points and was followed by Navy (103), St. Joseph's (113), Army (117) and Brown (195).

Northeastern (220) took seventh and was followed by the River Hawks, Fordham (284) and American International (288) to complete the top 10.

"It wasn't a perfect race for us, but it was a much better showing than two weeks ago (at the America East Pre-Conference Meet)," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "Having Omar and Conor made a big difference for us. I think some of the kids are stepping up and taking up leadership roles. Plus I believe, being a Division I school, the expectations have changed."

Abdi ran the 8K course in 26.07.65 as UMass Lowell's top five runners were separated by 1:12. Sophomore Padraic Donovan (Lowell, Mass.) posted a time of 26:37.17 to place 43^rd overall and 41^st among scoring runners while freshman Conor Doyle (Swansea, Mass.) came in 62^nd/58^th in 26:55.83.

Senior Ben Pare (Methuen, Mass.) finished 82^nd/69^th in 27:10.79 while junior Conor Habib (Methuen, Mass.) finished 87^th/71^st in 27:19.73 to cap the top five. Junior Matt Cioe (Mansfield, Mass.) placed 10^th/86^th in 27:.33.01 and sophomore Zach Ganshirt (Walpole, Mass.) placed 119^th/99^th in 27:46.23.

"There were a lot of good teams behind us," Gardner noted, including Boston College, Albany and Manhattan.

Sophomore Michael Biwott of American International College won the individual title with a time of 25:02.29 and established a 30-second cushion on the remainder of the field.

UMass Lowell enters the Codfish Bowl Invitational next Saturday at Franklin Park.