River Hawks Set Sights on Success at IC4A/ECAC Championships

LOWELL, Mass.—The UMass Lowell cross country team is back on the course this Friday, Oct. 14, for the 2022 IC4A/ECAC Cross Country Championships hosted by Fordham University in New York, N.Y.

The River Hawks will join 34 other teams at Van Cortlandt Park this weekend as conference championships inch closer. Head Coach Gary Gardner expects Friday's race to be an excellent checkpoint for the program.

"The ECAC/IC4A Championships are the last checkpoint before America East [for us]. We are looking for progress from two weeks ago," remarked Gardner.

With a solid crew of veterans making their way back into the lineup, UMass Lowell has been building its massive underclassman contingent to build a consistent and competitive machine.

"I'm extremely excited to see what the team can do. I think we can be really competitive with some of the other teams lining up. It will be a great experience for the younger crew, especially coming off of Paul Short," commented graduate student Izzy Giesing (Bradford, Vt.)

Giesing heads into Friday's meet as one of UMass Lowell's most experienced runners on the women's side. After a tough fight at the Coast-to-Coast Invite just weeks ago, Giesing hopes to leave it all on the limestone trails of Van Cortlandt Park.

"I can't wait for this upcoming weekend. I feel strong coming off of Coast-to-Coast. I know I had more to give going into the last 1K of the 5K, which makes me confident lining up for a 6K this weekend," said Giesing.

Lining up alongside Giesing, senior Kenzie Doyle (Swansea, Mass.) anticipates the River Hawks' deep roster to shine after months of hard work.

"Going into this race, we are most focused on doing well as a team. Knowing that the underclassmen have 6K experience, I am confident that this team is a top-10 contender at this meet," stated Doyle. "We've added a little bit of speed to our training, so we should start to see it all come together, especially since conference is on the way."

While the women's team lines up for the 6K, the men will follow with an 8K test on the same course. The River Hawks will be amongst a stacked field of teams that is nearly three times the size of last year's race. Gardner is confident, however, that the team will be able to stand out and be fierce competitors.

"This is the most competitive this meet has been in years with so many excellent teams. It's going to be a good test for us," concluded Gardner.

Friday's race kicks off at 11 a.m. with the women's 6K event, followed by the men's 8K at 11:45 a.m. Live results can be found through LeoneTiming.com.

River Hawks Set Sights on Success at IC4A/ECAC Championships

Players Mentioned

Kenzie Doyle

Izzy Giesing

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