CAA Cross Country Championship Set for Bethpage State Park

CAA Cross Country Championship Set for Bethpage State Park

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CHAMP CENTRAL

RICHMOND, Va. (October 25, 2018) – The 2018 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Cross Country Championships are set for Friday, Oct. 26, at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y. Hosted by Hofstra University, the women’s 6K race will get underway at 10 a.m. ET, followed by the men’s 8K championship at 11 a.m. ET.
 
Fans can watch the post-championship awards ceremony via Facebook Live (Facebook.com/caasports). Be sure to follow the CAA on Twitter (@CAASports), Instagram (@caasports) and Snapchat (caasports) and join the conversation, using the hashtag #CAAChamps. For live results, highlights, recaps, and more, visit CAASports.com/XCchamps.
 
Additionally, in a new CAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee initiative, fans are asked to donate new or used winter coats at the league's fall championships.
 
The William & Mary men’s program enters the meet ranked 12th in the USTFCCCA southeast region and will be looking to extend its reign atop the CAA to 19 straight championships. Defending champion JP Trojan has run in just one meet this fall for the Tribe, while last year’s runner-up Ryan McGorty is coming off a time of 25:06.2 at the Pre-National Invitaitonal.


 
For Charleston, the Cougars will look to build off of a 10th-place finish at the Royals Challenge. Declan Hines, who paced CofC at last year’s championship, has once again been the Cougars’ No. 1 runner, shaving 43 seconds off of his personal-best 8K at the Royals Challenge with a time of 24:56.
 
After a fourth-place finish at last year’s championship, Nick Ciolkowski returns to lead the Elon men’s program. The senior is coming off a 12th-place effort at the ECU Pirate Invitational, where he clocked an 8K time of 25:08.81.
 
Two newcomers will look to lift the Hofstra men’s program as they host the championship. Meshack Kipchirchir has twice set the Hofstra 8K record, lowering it to 24:26 at the Pre-National Invitational. Twice this fall Kipchirchir has earned CAA Runner of the Week accolades, while teammate Alex Masai earned the honor on Sept. 11 after a victory at the Stony Brook Wolfie Invitational.
 
Northeastern is coming off of a runner-up finish at the Rothenberg Invitational at Brown University, led by Tucker McNinch’s second-place finish after an effort of 26:05.2 on the 8K course. Three Huskies finished in the top 10 of the meet.
 
With limited practice time and an abbreviated schedule due to the effects of Hurricane Florence, the Seahawks have endured a challenging fall and are ready to compete in the conference race. First-year Head Coach Austin Davis plans to carry six men in the race.
 
On the women’s side, James Madison returns to defend its title after snapping William & Mary’s five-year championship run in 2017. The Dukes are coming off an effort at the Penn State National that saw six different runners post personal best times. In each of her last two meets, Kayla Connelly has set a personal best in the 6K; Erica Jackson, who took 12th at last year’s championship, posted a personal-best time of 21:54 at the meet.
 
Tess Masselink will lead Charleston into Friday’s meet. The sophomore has been the Cougars’ top finisher in all nine meets of her career, last posting a time of 17:25 in the 5K at the Royals Challenge, taking sixth in a field of 412. Twice this season Masselink has been named the CAA Runner of the Week.
 
Delaware’s Dianna Dunn collected similar accolades on Sept. 18 after taking fourth at the Delaware Invitational after covering the 6K course in 23:07. In the Blue Hens’ final tuneup prior to the championship, they took the top seven spots to sweep the Blue and Gold Invitational as Jeanette Bendolph claimed first.
 
Coming into the championship, Elon is the lone CAA squad earning a USTFCCCA regional ranking, entering the top 15 in the southeast region at No. 13. Coralea Geraniotis has paced the Phoenix throughout the fall, twice earning CAA Runner of the Week honors, most recently on Oct. 16. It was Geraniotis’ third-place performance at the ECU Pirate Inviational, where she set a personal record with a 21:18.09 in the 6K, that earned her the honors.
 
Hofstra is coming off a 22nd-place finish at the Princeton Invitational on Oct. 12. Freshman Sophia Masciarelli finished 60th to lead the Pride as four of the five Hofstra runners posted season-best 6K times. Masciarelli posted a time of 22:50 in the 6K race to take 60th place. It was her best 6K time of her young career.
 
The Northeastern women last competed on Oct. 6, taking seventh at the New England Championships. Camila Cortina and Louiza Wise have traded pacing the Huskies this season, with Wise doing so at the Battle in Beantown (18:38.7) and Cortina (18:36.4) at the New England Championships. Last year, Wise took runner-up honors at the CAA Championship.
 
Like Hofstra, Towson last competed at the Princeton Invitational, where the Tigers finished immediately in front of the Pride in 21st. Junior Erica Israel led the way, her third event of the year as the lead Tiger. Israel had a time of 22:49.7.
 
Fighting through the adversity leveled by Hurricane Florence, UNCW will run seven in Friday’s meet. In the Seahawks first three meets of the season, three different runners have been the team’s top finisher, with Emme Fisher posting the team’s best time with a 20:53 in the 5K at the CCU Invitational to open the year.
 
After a runner-up finish last year, William & Mary will be looking to recapture the CAA crown. Two of the Tribe’s top-three finishers as last year’s championship – Lauren Finikiotis (10th) and Charlotte Kowalk (20th) will look to pace William & Mary again, along with Lauren Kroepfl, who led the team at the Pre-National Invitational.