Cross Country Teams Begin The 2019 Season At UNH Tri Meet

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Providence College men's and women's cross-country teams will each open the season at the UNH Tri Meet in Durham, N.H. on August 31. The Friars will be racing against the Wildcats from the University of New Hampshire and the Crusaders from the College of Holy Cross. The women's race is set to go off at 10:45 a.m. and the men are scheduled for an 11:15 a.m. start. Last season, both teams took home the victories, with the men sweeping the top eight spots and women taking four out of the top six. The Friar men recorded a total of 15 points while the women finished with 22 points. The men enter the 2019 season ranked No. 11 in the Northeast Regional Poll, while the women check in at No. 6 in the Northeast Regional Poll.

The Friars will be led by two-time All-American senior Abbey Wheeler (Elmira, N.Y.) and junior Maria Coffin (Annapolis, Md.). Abbey Wheeler won last year's UNH Tri Meet (17:21.37) and the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown (17:09.7). Wheeler claimed All-BIG EAST honors last year after finishing fourth at the BIG EAST Championships (20:35.3). Wheeler's success continued to outdoor track as she won the 3,000-meter race (9:39.38) at the Black and Gold Challenge at the University of Central Florida. The senior finished runner-up at the BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 5,000 meters (16:11.87). She also finished ninth at the First Round of the NCAA Championships to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championship where she finished 14^th(16:23.42). This finish earned Wheeler Second-Team All-America Honors.

Coffin will step up to the line in Durham, N.H. after finishing second (17:21.45) last year behind Wheeler. Coffin finished fourth at the 16^thAnnual CCSU Mini Meet (10:08.5) and 24^that the BIG EAST Championships (21:50.2). Coffin won the mile at the Brown University Invitational (5:07.20), was runner-up in the 3,000 meters (9:56.06) at the Penn 8-Team Select, and finished sixth in the 5,000 meters (16:46.94) at the Boston University John Thomas Terrier Classic. Both women look to contribute their success and experience to a Friar team that includes six freshmen.

For the men, senior Marcus Karamanolis (Wellington, New Zealand) and juniors Marcelo Rocha (Peabody, Mass.) and Angus White (New Plymouth, New Zealand) will lead the way. Karamanolis looks to start the year strong after setting personal bests in the mile (4:14.37), 3,000 meters (8:16.12) and the 5,000 meters (14:07.55). This 5,000-meter time qualified him for the First Round of the NCAA Championships last season. Rocha's best cross-country finish was in Durham last year, finishing runner-up (15:08.23). On the track, the junior won the 3,000 meters at the Black and Gold Challenge, placed second in the 3,000 meters at the URI Tribute to Bill Falk (8:36.2) and finished fourth in the 5,000 meters (14:17.19) at the BIG EAST Championships. White is building off a season where he set personal bests in the 3,000 meter (8:20.52) and the mile (4:06.08). The junior's season was also highlighted by winning the mile (4:19.58) at the Brown University Invitational. He also was runner-up in the 1,500 meters (3:49.56) and earned a fifth-place finish in the mile at the Penn 8-Team Select (4:10.65). White was a member of the 4x800 relay team that finished third (7:31.1) at the BIG EAST Championships.

Joining these three this season will be an experienced group of upperclassmen and two newcomers.

Follow @FriarsXCTrack on Twitter for live updates.

- GO FRIARS! -

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Players Mentioned

Maria Coffin

Marcus Karamanolis

Marcelo Rocha

Abbey Wheeler

Angus White