Quinnipiac women’s cross country can not stop making program history this season. After four-peating as MAAC Champions, the Bobcats traveled to Hopkinton, N.H. to compete in the NCAA Northeast Regionals.
And the Bobcats made a statement, placing eighth overall, Quinnipiac’s highest finish at NCAA Regionals in program history.
“It was fantastic, the girls were really starting to see what they’re capable of. And they’re running with more confidence, and they’re running where they can be,” women’s cross country head coach Carolyn Martin said. “It’s tough to go from trying to race to win, to try and race to be in the top ten, and I think today was great. A great day to show what they can do and compete with some really, really great programs.”
The program history made that morning didn’t stop there.
Senior Rachel St. Germain solidified her name in Quinnipiac history, being the first Bobcat in 20 years to be named NCAA All-Regional with her 21st-place finish. Germain improved 69 places, finishing with a time of 20:28.6, her fastest collegiate time.
“Rachel is such a consistent athlete. She’s someone that you know is so humble that she doesn’t know how good she is,” Martin said. “I think when you have someone that can be really consistent like that, you know, any given day, they’re going to be on top and have this great race…It’s been fun to coach her and watch her grow as a person and leader.”
Senior Sierra Gray finished shortly after Germain, finishing No. 28, with a time of 20:35.4. Three more Bobcats would place for Quinnipiac, with sophomore Madeleine O’Neill (48th), junior Zoe Merryman (75th) and freshman Ashley Carillo (88th).
And while Quinnipiac’s finishes seem spread out in terms of finishing placement, taking a deeper look at each Bobcat’s final times, they are a lot closer than you may think.
When comparing Germain, who was the highest placing Bobcat, and Carillo, the final Bobcat whose placement counted towards the team’s final score, only 1:36.6 separates their times.
This stat within the Bobcats competition is related to the team’s emphasis on pack running, which they have focused on improving this season. The strategy has contributed to Quinnipiac’s continued success thus far.
“I think our team using those earlier races to really pack up and work together, trains them when they get to those bigger fields to look for each other and to key off each other to help pull them forward,” Martin said.
While the sun sets on Quinnipiac women’s cross country’s dominant season, Martin and her squad reflect on the continued success of the program, the growth they have made and the future ahead of them.
“It’s really exciting to be able to see our team grow,” Martin said.
