Race Results

LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell women's cross country team turned in a strong performance to grab 12th place in a field of 45 teams, Saturday morning, at the prestigious 43rd Annual Paul Short Run hosted by Lehigh University at the Goodman Campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
 
"The women were fantastic," said UMass Lowell Head Coach Gary Gardner.  "From top to bottom everybody ran well."
 
The River Hawks accumulated 424 points (59, 61, 92, 96, 116 - 155, 237) and what amounted to 33 dual meet wins in the 6K "Gold" race.  Yale won the event with 92-points, Georgetown was second with 119.  UMass Lowell was the top finisher among the four America East schools that competed.  Stony Brook was the River Hawks closest conference rival with 546-points and a 19th place finish.
 
"We wanted to see how we stacked up," said Gardner.  "We beat our conference opponents, but we know we can run better and we will work to run better.  It's just a matter of getting a few more races under our belt and getting a little bit better each week.  We know the competition will be getting better."
 
Senior Jaclyn Solimine (Haverhill, Mass.) was the top River Hawk finisher.  She grabbed 59th place in a field of more than 400 runners with a time of 20-minutes, 57-seconds for the 6,000-meter course.
 
"She ran really well," said Gardner noting that the coaching staff had put some pressure on the women's team leader.  "The women on the team key off of her.  She's the leader and she ran a very mature race and others learn from what she does."
 
Sophomore Nicole Murphy (Mendon, Mass.) was right on Solimine's heels.  She crossed the finish line just three-seconds behind her teammate.  Murphy clocked in at 21-minutes, on the dot, good for 61st position.
 
"That was a great run," said Gardner.  "She doesn't let the moment get too big.  She's bright and she's super competitive."
 
Murphy, who ran during the indoor and outdoor track seasons, is competing for the first time in cross country.
 
Junior Marissa Richards (Lowell, Mass.) may have turned in the best race of her collegiate career.  She finished 92nd in a time of 21:19.  Richards, who battled injuries a year ago, has turned in several strong performances this early season.
 
Junior Kathryn Loughnane (North Attleboro, Mass.) authored a strong bounce back performance after struggling, at times, two weeks ago at the Coast to Coast Invitational in Boston.  Loughnane finished 92nd with a time of 21:23.
 
"That was a good run, her confidence is back," said Gardner.  "That's a real good sign because she makes us a much better team when she's running well."
 
Junior Alli Wood (Chelmsford, Mass.) was the last of the River Hawk scorers.  She crossed the finish line in a time of 21:32 good for 116th place.
 
"She wants to be good," said Gardner.  "She ran hard and finished hard, she's the type of runner who will not give up."
 
Next week begins the so-called "Championship Season as UMass Lowell competes, Saturday, October 8, at the New England Championships at Franklin Park in Boston.  The NCAA Pre-Nationals are a week later and the America East Championship will take place at the end of the month of October.