Spring Break
XCOUNTRY: Lemay, Norton lead cross country squads
by Jeffrey Pickette
Senior writer
Sports | 9/23/08
Posted online at 4:05 AM EST on 9/23/08
Top performances from classmates Paul Norton '11, who placed third out of 278 runners, and Marie Lemay '11, who finished 11th out of 310 runners, led the men's and women's cross country teams to top-ten team finishes at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth Invitational last Saturday.
The men's team came in seventh in a field of 38 schools, while the women's team finished third out of 41 schools at the meet.
Underclassmen led the way for both squads, as four of the top five scorers for both teams were either rookies or sophomores.
"I was really excited. It shows that we have a really strong team," Lemay said. "We have a lot of good things to come in the future. It was a step in the right direction for a really good season."
The women's team recorded five of the top 42 finishes, with Lemay leading the way with a time of 18 minutes, 43 seconds in the five-kilometer course. A quick start to the race allowed Lemay to top her previous personal-best time by 30 seconds.
"[Coach John Evans] told me to 'get a good start so you don't have to weave your way through a lot of people,'" Lemay said. "So I tried to start kind of near the front pack and just work my way and kind of get into a good rhythm to go through the race."
Rookie Kate Warwick '12 followed with a 16th-place finish with a time of 18:51.
"My warm up felt awful; I didn't feel good at all [before the race]," Warwick said. "Then I ran the race and got to the end and I was like 'that was probably okay,' but I didn't think it was going to be as great as [18:51]. Breaking 19 [minutes] is a huge thing."
The Pisarik sisters, rookie Alyssa '12 and Beth '10, came in 28th and 42nd places respectively, while Hannah Lindholm '11 finished 38th.
On the men's side, Norton eclipsed his personal best by 45 seconds with a third-place time of 25:08 in the five-mile course. Norton kept with the lead pack throughout the race and was part of a three-man group that pulled away from the rest of the runners with two miles left.
The men's team came in seventh in a field of 38 schools, while the women's team finished third out of 41 schools at the meet.
Underclassmen led the way for both squads, as four of the top five scorers for both teams were either rookies or sophomores.
"I was really excited. It shows that we have a really strong team," Lemay said. "We have a lot of good things to come in the future. It was a step in the right direction for a really good season."
The women's team recorded five of the top 42 finishes, with Lemay leading the way with a time of 18 minutes, 43 seconds in the five-kilometer course. A quick start to the race allowed Lemay to top her previous personal-best time by 30 seconds.
"[Coach John Evans] told me to 'get a good start so you don't have to weave your way through a lot of people,'" Lemay said. "So I tried to start kind of near the front pack and just work my way and kind of get into a good rhythm to go through the race."
Rookie Kate Warwick '12 followed with a 16th-place finish with a time of 18:51.
"My warm up felt awful; I didn't feel good at all [before the race]," Warwick said. "Then I ran the race and got to the end and I was like 'that was probably okay,' but I didn't think it was going to be as great as [18:51]. Breaking 19 [minutes] is a huge thing."
The Pisarik sisters, rookie Alyssa '12 and Beth '10, came in 28th and 42nd places respectively, while Hannah Lindholm '11 finished 38th.
On the men's side, Norton eclipsed his personal best by 45 seconds with a third-place time of 25:08 in the five-mile course. Norton kept with the lead pack throughout the race and was part of a three-man group that pulled away from the rest of the runners with two miles left.
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