Upcoming Event: Women's Cross Country at Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational on October 3, 2025
Women's Cross Country
at Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational
Providence College Athletics
Photo by: Stew Milne
Friar Women Ranked No.1 and Men No.3 In USTFCCCA Northeast Region
8/30/2022 3:17:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
Women and men's cross country teams Northeast regional rankings released.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The USTFCCCA released the Regional Rankings today (Aug. 30) for Men's and Women's Division I Cross Country. The Providence College women's cross country team is ranked first in the Northeast Region. The men's cross country team is ranked third in the Northeast Region.
This year, the Friars will be led by five returning athletes, junior Laura Mooney (Cappincur, Ireland), junior Shannon Flockhart (Longstanton, England), senior Lilly Tuck (Sunderland, Canada), sophomore Kimberley May (Auckland, New Zealand), and graduate student Orla O'Connor (Waterford, Ireland).
The Friar women will open their season at the Friar Invitational on September 9th at the Mark Coogan Course at Highland Park in Attleboro, Mass. Junior Laura Mooney (Cappincur, Ireland) will be one of the top returners for the Friars this season. Mooney finished ninth at the BIG EAST Cross Country Championships on October 29th, 2021 in a time of 21:08.6. Mooney also was the top finisher for the Friars at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships this past year, when she placed 60th in a time of 20:13.1, leading the team to a 26th place finish.
Junior Shannon Flockhart (Longstanton, England) had a strong sophomore season for the Friars after earning her second All-BIG EAST accolade for her 17th-place finish (21:31.0) at the BIG EAST Cross Country Championships. Flockhart also placed top 10 at the NCAA Division 1 Northeast Region Cross Country Championships, right behind her teammate Mooney.
Senior Lilly Tuck (Sunderland, Canada) has earned three All-BIG EAST Cross Country accolades during her time at Providence, her most recent when she placed 16th at the the BIG EAST Cross Country Championships (21:26.6) on October 29, 2021.
Also expected to pace the Friars will be sophomore Kimberley May (Auckland, New Zealand), and graduate student Orla O'Connor (Waterford, Ireland). Both May and O'Connor scored for the Friars at the NCAA Division 1 Northeast Regional Championships on November 12, 2021, helping the team advance to the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships on November 20, 2021. Two key newcomers in the Friars' lineup will be freshman Jane Buckley (Cork, Ireland) and sophomore transfer Niamh O'Mahony (Kerry, Ireland). Buckley represented Ireland at the European Cross Country Championships, with Providence teammate Laura Mooney, where she placed 30th (14:15) on December 30, 2021. O'Mahony most recently placed third in the Irish Universities Cross Country Championships in Dublin.
The 2022 men's cross country team will be led by a strong group of upperclassman, graduate students Marcelo Rocha (Peabody, Mass.) and David McGlynn (Waterford, Ireland), junior Liam Back (New Plymouth, New Zealand), and graduate transfer David Principe, Jr. (Johnston, RI).
The Friar men open their season at the Friar Invitational on September 9 at the Mark Coogan Course at Highland Park in Attleboro, Mass. Rocha will be one of the top returners for the Friars this season. Rocha finished fourth at the BIG EAST Cross Country Championships on October 29, 2021 in a time of 24:22.7. Rocha also represented the Friars as an individual qualifier at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships this past season in Tallahassee, Florida, where he placed 61st in a time of 29:25.8. Back had a strong showing in his sophomore season where he was awarded All-BIG EAST accolades for his eighth place finish at the BIG EAST Cross Country Champions on October 29 (24:32.2). Back also had a strong showing at the NCAA Division I Northeast Region Cross Country Championships, where he placed 19th (30:52.3), helping the team to a fourth place finish.
Helping lead the Friars throughout this season also will be junior Pat Thygesen (Brisbane, Australia), sophomore Abdel Laadjel (Lucan, Ireland), junior Shane Coffey (Naas, Ireland), and sophomore Michael Morgan (Sligo, Ireland). Laadjel, Coffey, Morgan and Thygesen all scored for the Friars on multiple occasions, proving themselves to be key returning runners this upcoming season. Laadjel also had a strong showing last season highlighted by his sixth place finish at the European Junior U-20 Cross Country Championship. A key newcomer for the team will be graduate transfer David Principe, Jr. (Johnston, RI). During his time at Stanford University, Principe competed at four NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, most recently helping his team to a fifth-place finish at the 2021 Championships.
Division I National Coaches' Poll will be released on August 31.
For more information on the Providence College men's and women's cross country teams, follow @FriarsXCTrack on Twitter and Instagram.
-GO FRIARS-
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
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/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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