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Sept. 23, 2003
HOLMDEL, NJ (September 22, 2003) - The Sacred Heart men and women's cross-country teams had a very solid performance at the Monmouth Invitational Monday afternoon. The race was held at Holmdel Park in Holmdel, NJ, site of this year's Northeast Conference Championship. Both teams performed very well, with the men finishing 5th in a 13 team field and the women 4th out of 12 schools.
Both teams turned in strong early season times, with the women's top-seven runners coming in under 21 minutes and the men's top-seven all under the 30 minute mark on one of the Northeast's toughest courses.
On the women's side, the Pioneers got another strong performance from senior Katie Wrinkle (Medford, NY). Wrinkle turned in a very fast time on the course and was the highest finisher from the NEC schools participating, coming in fourth with a time of 19:09.5. For Wrinkle, it was her highest of the season and her first top-five finish of 2003. Wrinkle broke out with the front-runners early and with a mile to go, battled Laura Hixson of Stony Brook. The two gradually pulled away from the rest of the pack over the final mile and in the final straightaway, Wrinkle beat out Hixson in a furious sprint to the finish line by a mere 3/10 of second.
Fellow senior Suzanne Neglia (Andover, NJ) also had a strong day, finishing 23rd with a time of 20:01.6. For Neglia it was her third top-25 finish in three races this year. Freshman Kathleen Duffy (Monroe, CT) continues to impress in her short time in the sport. Duffy took home a 25th-place finish and was the highest finisher among all NEC newcomers at the race. Her time of 20:09.5 put her among the Pioneer's top-three runners for the third time this year.
Sophomore Erin Kulasewski (West Warwick, RI) placed 33rd (20:31.0) followed by freshman Anne Duffy (Monroe, CT) in 40th (20:39.9), freshman Justine Fallon (Strafford, NH) in 43rd (20:45.2) and junior Cheryl Beaulieu (East Hampton, CT) in 51st (20:57.7).
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On the men's side, the Pioneers continued the strong start to their season and showed that they can compete with the top teams in the NEC. SHU notched a win over Seton Hall, marking the program's first win ever over a Big East school. The Pioneers also avenged an early season defeat to Stony Brook, finishing just ahead of the Seawolves (6th). Senior Matthew Uzenski (Oceanside, NJ) was once again the pace setter for Sacred Heart, nabbing his second top-15 finish of the season. Uzenski came home in 13th place with a time of 27:20.2.
Fellow senior and co-captain Andrew Renna (Danbury, CT) finished 35th (28:55.3) followed by senior Joseph Zalak (Middle Village, NY) in 43rd (29:18.8), sophomore Tyler Arnett (Clinton Corners, NY) in 44th (29:20.0), sophomore Robert Howard (Levittown, NY) in 46th (29:25.1), freshman Timothy Larson (Smithfield, RI) in 48th (29:39.0) and sophomore Robert Gill (Braintree, MA) in 54th (29:52.4).
Both teams return to action this Saturday, October 4th when they take part in the 27th Annual Fairfield University Invitational. Last year both teams finished second at the event.
Men's Results: 1. Lehigh 38, 2. Quinnipiac 46, 3. Monmouth 96, 4. DeSale 147, 5. Sacred Heart 150, 6. Stony Brook 162, 7. Rider 229, 8. Seton Hall 237, 9. St. Francis (NY) 238, 10. Rowan 245, 11. Felician 279, 12. St. Peter's 327, 13. Cumberland County 407
Women's Results: 1. Rutgers 52, 2. Lehigh 72, 3. Monmouth 86, 4. Sacred Heart 103, 5. Stony Brook 118, 6. Quinnipiac 121, 7. Rowan 231, 8. Rider 237, 9. Seton Hall 249, 10. St. Francis (NY) 283, 11. Felician 291, 12. St. Peter's 350
