The Quinnipiac men’s and women’s cross country teams competed at the Central Connecticut State University mini-meet Friday.
The women took second place out of the nine competing teams. They finished ahead of both Northeast Conference opponents Central Connecticut State and Fairleigh Dickinson. The men finished sixth out of eight teams. UConn won for the women while Central Connecticut men’s team won and defended its home turf.
Sophomore Andrea Szarkowicz was the first Bobcat to cross the finish line and was seventh overall. She finished the 3,000-meter course in 10:28. The second runner to finish for Quinnipiac was Katie Beam, who placed 10th out of 84 runners with a time of 10:30. Kaitlin Kelly followed Beam and placed 14th overall with a time of 10:35. Finishing four seconds later was Kelly Newcomb, who completed the race in 10:39 and captured 15th overall. Then came Kelly Malloy who got 17th overall with a time of 10:42.
“We did a great job and packed up well,” Quinnipiac head coach Carolyn Martin said. “It was a great tune up for the Northeast Conference Championships and I think the women are ready for next week.”
Sophomore Brian Cotter finished first for Quinnipiac on the men’s side, which was good for 17th overall. He completed the 5,000-meter course in 16:05. Jacob Cetera was next for Quinnipiac, finishing in 16:09 and 21st place. Dylan Denuzzo’s effort earned him 25th overall with a time of 16:16.
Two seconds later came John Healy with a time of 16:18, finishing fourth for the Bobcats and 26th overall. Finishing fifth for Quinnipiac and 35th out of 90 runners was John Beckshaw who completed the course in 16:40.
“We’re looking forward to next weekend and I’m hoping we can carry the confidence we’ve built over the past season to the Northeast Conference Championships,” Martin said.
The women will look for their sixth straight NEC Championship this weekend. The men, who won three straight from 2006-08, will look to reclaim the title from Central Connecticut.
Both teams will compete at the Northeast Conference Championships on Saturday at Stanley Quarter Park in New Britain, Conn. The women are scheduled to run at 11 a.m. while the men will run at noon.
