COFC Sweeps XC Runners of the Week

9/19/2017 12:30:00 PM

Kelly McCarthy

RICHMOND, Va. (September 19, 2017) – The College of Charleston swept the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Cross Country Runner of the Week awards as freshman Tess Masselink and sophomore Hayden DiBona earned the honors on the women’s and men’s side, respectively.

WOMEN’S RUNNER OF THE WEEK:
Tess Masselink • College of Charleston
Freshman • Cornwall, England

Freshman Tess Masselink paced the College of Charleston women's cross country team for the second straight race, finishing fourth overall at Appalachian State's Mountains to Sea Duals. The freshman's 5K time of 17:53.53, which was run at the altitude and among the hills of Boone, N.C., was not only the 10th-fastest 5K time in school history, but also cemented her as the fifth-fastest 5K runner in school history. As a team, CofC finished third behind North Carolina and Appalachian State.

MEN’S RUNNER OF THE WEEK:
Hayden DiBona • College of Charleston
Sophomore • Mt. Pleasant, S.C./Academic Magnet

The College of Charleston men’s cross country team achieved a fifth place finish at Appalachian State’s Mountains to Sea Duals, and CofC sophomore Hayden DiBona paced the Cougars with a seventh place finish. Despite racing at altitude and on hilly terrain, the accomplished runner finished just five seconds shy of his collegiate PR, and submitted the 17th-best 8K time in school history when he crossed the finish line at 25:42.20.

Running Down the CAA (Men)

Senior Calvin Daughtry was the top runner for UNCW for the third straight race as the Seahawks competed at the Mountains To Sea Duals alongside CofC. Daughtry posted a time of 26:51 on the 8K course to finish 24th out of 88 entries as the Seahawks finished ninth.

Elon competed at the adidas XC Challenge, finishing tenth overall in the team standings in a very tough field. Richie Kasper led the way for the Maroon and Gold with his time of 20:06.0 in the men's "White" 6K run.

William & Mary is ranked ninth in the Southeast according the latest USTFCCCA Regional Rankings released on Monday. The Tribe was in action over the weekend, hosting the W&M Invitational. William & Mary finished fifth overall as all but five runners of the varsity line-up sat out in preparation for next week's race. The Tribe's top finisher was redshirt-sophomore Andrew Cacciatore, who finished 25th overall in 19:36.32.

Northeastern will open its 2017 campaign on September 22 with the Coast to Coast Battle in Beantown followed by the UVA Panorama Farms Invitational on September 23. The Huskies will be joined by the Tribe at Panorama Farms.

Running Down the CAA (Women)

Two CAA squads remain in the USTFCCCA Southeast Regional Rankings this week as William & Mary is ranked eighth and James Madison is ranked 12th.

Senior Liz McGroarty dominated the field in leading Delaware to the team title at the Blue Hens' annual Delaware Invitational. She covered the 6K course in a time of 23:05.9 to take first place, 58 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. As a team, the Blue Hens took nine of the top 10 spots individually to capture the team title for the first time since 2014.

Elon competed at the adidas XC Challenge, finishing seventh overall in the team standings in a very tough field. Brigid Brennan was the top finisher for the maroon and gold women in the women's "White" 5K race. The senior nearly tied her personal-best in the race and clocked a 17:54.7 to finish 19th.

Freshman Emme Fisher was the top runners for UNCW for the third straight race as the Seahawks competed in the Mountains To Sea Duals. Fisher finished 25th out of 94 runners with a time of 18:44 over the 5K course as the Seahawks placed eighth.

Sophomore Kathryn Eng led the Tribe at the W&M Invitational, with a fifth place finish in the 5K race, crossing the line in 18:24.59. As a team, the Tribe was the runner-up in the six-team race, finishing just two points behind champion Charlotte.

Sophomore Erica Israel was the top finisher for Towson for the third consecutive week, finishing 13th with a time of 19:04.41 at the Monmouth Invitational. It was the third-best 5k time of her career and she has finished in the top-15 in all three races this season. The Tigers placed sixth as a team.

Northeastern will open its 2017 campaign on September 22 with the Coast to Coast Battle in Beantown followed by the UVA Panorama Farms Invitational on September 23. The Huskies will be joined by the Tribe at Panorama Farms. James Madison returns to action with the Longwood Invitational on Friday and the Roy Griak Invitational on Saturday.