BOSTON, Mass.– The Providence College men's and women's cross-country teams competed against nationally and regionally ranked teams today (Nov. 12) at the NCAA Northeast Regional Meet at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass. The Friar women placed third out of 36 teams. The Friar men placed fourth out of 35 teams. Six Friars finished with All-Region Honors due to placing in the top-25. Both the men's and women's squads will wait to hear if they have earned at-large bids to the NCAA Championship which will be held on Saturday, Nov. 20 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla. The women's team is likely to receive an at large bid when the announcements are made tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 13.
For the women's 6k race, graduate student
Maria Coffin (Annapolis, Md.) finished first for the Friars in the competitive field. Coffin went out in the top-10 and maintained her position through the course. Coffin went on to finish fourth (20:40) overall, earning All-Region Honors.
Sophomores
Laura Mooney (Cappincur, Ireland) and
Shannon Flockhart (Longstanton, England) were the second and third runners across the line for Providence. Mooney moved through the field to place seventh (20:44) overall and Flockhart was not far behind finishing 10th (21:00). Both runners earned All-Region Honors. The Friar women were the only team out of 36 in the field to record three top-10 finishes.
Rounding out the top-five were juniors
Lilly Tuck (Sunderland, Canada) and
Orla O'Connor (Waterford, Ireland), placing 39th (21:40) and 48th (21:48), respectively.
On the men's side, graduate student
Marcelo Rocha (Peabody, Mass.) was the first Friar to cross the line in the rainy and muddy conditions. Rocha went out in the top-10 and maintained his position for a ninth-place finish (30:26), earning All-Regional honors. Rocha will progress individually to the NCAA Championships.
Graduate student
AJ Ernst (Marblehead, Mass.) and sophomore
Liam Back (New Plymouth, New Zealand) were the second and third Friars across the line for the men. Both Ernst and Back positioned themselves in the top-15 for the entire race. Ernst finished 12
th in a time of 30:37 while Back finished 19
th (30:54). Both received All-Regional honors for their performance.
Rounding out the top-five were freshman
Abdel Laadjel (Lucan, Ireland
) and sophomore Patrick Thygesen (Brisbane, Australia) finishing 27th (31:09) and 31st (31:19), respectively.
-GO FRIARS!-