ATLANTIC EAST MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
ATLANTIC EAST WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
SCOTT TOWNSHIP, Pa.- This Saturday, the first ever Atlantic East Conference Championship will be held as the Immaculata men's and women's cross country teams head north to Lakeland High School for the big race hosted by Marywood University. Seven schools will compete in the first Atlantic East Conference Cross Country Championships.
The men's race will begin at 11 a.m. and will be an 8K and the women's race will follow at 12 p.m. and it will be a 6K.
Head Coach
Dana Kershaw said of participating in the first ever Atlantic East Conference Championship, "We are very excited to see some familiar faces as well as new teams in the conference. Being a part of the first ever Atlantic East Championship, all teams are setting the standard for seasons to come."
In the pre-championship poll, the men were selected to finish in seventh by the conference head coaches and the women were picked to finish in third, behind Marywood and Wesley.
Kershaw said of the expectations for both squads, "I believe our women's team can have another strong performance like they did last year. All of our girls have been working very hard this year and are looking strong. I am excited to see how they rise to the challenge tomorrow. I am also very proud of the work the men's team has been putting in this season. They are all looking incredibly strong and I believe they can have one of the top team performances that our men have seen in the past several years."
The Mighty Macs began their season at the Atlantic East Preview Meet at Lakeland High School and both the men and women placed second behind Marywood. The men ran a 6K race and they were led by junior
Dominic Zengel with a 25:59 in eighth place, followed by senior
Michael Wamsher (28:25, 9
th), freshman
Frank Masino (28:26, 10
th), sophomore
Joseph Lounsberry (30:24, 11
th), and sophomore
Matt Anzideo (37:09, 12
th).
"Our men's team is continuously building and improving each year", said Kershaw, "
Michael Wamsher has been a great senior leader.
Dominic Zengel has also been leading the team both on and off the race course.
Frank Masino,
James Ruppert and
Joseph Lounsberry are having an incredible first year on our team and
Matt Anzideo, after being injured his freshman year, has been healthy and always putting his full effort forward."
The women ran a 6K race and were led by junior Kara Sitch in third place with a time of 18:57 and junior
Celsey Golato in fourth with a mark of 19:03, followed by senior Mackenize Greene (19:51, 7
th), freshman
Katherine Graziano (20:41, 8
th), freshman
Taylor Hess (25:21, 10
th), freshman
Alli Harmon (25:30, 11
th), and sophomore
Amanda Hyde (25:58, 12
th).
Kershaw said of the women's team, "I am happy that our women's team is still a contending squad, even after graduating nine runners last year.
Mackenzie Greene has stepped up this year as a true senior leader.
Celsey Golato and Kara Sitch are both having their best seasons yet.
Katherine Graziano,
Alli Harmon and
Amanda Hyde's consistency has been critical to the success of the overall season."
For the Mighty Mac men, Zengel has led the team in all four previous races this season, while Masino has finished second twice and third twice. Their best finish as a team outside of the Atlantic East Preview was in fourth place at the Immaculata Invitational.
For the Mighty Mac women, Greene was twice the top finisher for the team while Golato and Sitch also paced the squad one time each. Those three runners have been the top three for the Mighty Macs in every race. Most recently, the Macs have won each of their last two events as a team at the PSU-Abington Invitational and the Immaculata Invitational.
Check back on Saturday for results from the Atlantic East Cross Country Championships.
