STAC COMPETES AT NCAA REGIONALS IN BOSTON
The St. Thomas Aquinas cross country teams wrapped up their 2006 season by taking part in the NCAA Div. II Regionals, held Sunday, Nov. 5 at Franklin Park in Boston.
The Spartan men placed 16th of 22 teams with 419 points, while the women placed 17th of 22 teams with 522 points. The University of Massachusetts-Lowell (32) and Stonehill (45) went 1-2 in the men’s race to qualify for the NCAA Championships, while the order was reversed in the women’s race – Stonehill (47) followed by UMass-Lowell (55).
For the STAC men, sophomore Andrew Gangemi led the way with a 60th-place finish. He covered the 10K (6.2-mile) multiple-loop course in 35 minutes 12 seconds. Three Spartan teammates then clustered within six places of one another: sophomore Andrew Spanos, 85th in 36:17; freshman Aidan Hearn, 88th in 36:22; and sophomore Rafael Ortiz, 91st in 36:35. Senior Anthony Hilliard rounded out the scoring unit, finishing 104th in 37:46.
Freshman Ashley Toscano was the top Lady Spartan harrier, placing 101st in 27:23 for a 6K (3.7-mile) distance. Senior Laura Koch was not far behind, taking 106th in 27:41. Also scoring for STAC were senior Kelly Bauer, 109th in 28:14; freshman Amanda Szorentini, 115th in 29:27; and junior Samara Vega, 130th in 32:53.
The Spartans will now turn their attention toward the indoor track season, which commences with its first meet on December 1 at Fordham.