Results
JOPLIN, MO – The College of Saint Rose once again worked its way to finish off the year at the
NCAA Division II Championship Meet held earlier today. The meet was hosted by
Missouri Southern State University. This is the second time in three years the Golden Knights have reached this plateau to conclude a season.
"We are extremely proud of our finish. This is a very big stage and to run among the best teams in the country is an honor," said coach
Andrew Rickert. "This represents another positive step in the program's history; to not just make it here but to compete well and hold our own. I was particularly impressed by our poise. They stuck to the same game plan as they have all year and ran terrific second halves. That can be risky in a field so deep. Each one of them were on the attack over the final kilometer and finished strong."
In a field that was expanded from 24 to 32 teams since Saint Rose last participated in the event in 2010, the Golden Knights earned a 30th place finish. The average 6k pace was clocked in at 23:36.8 for Saint Rose. The team was represented by four seniors, a junior, and two sophomores. Seniors
Emma Cohen,
Dana Welch, and
Grace Giampaglia were among the members on the team two years ago that made it to this point.
Junior
Jordan Westcott marked the first student-athlete to cross the finish line for Saint Rose, registering a 23:13.7 time that slotted her for a 188th place overall finish. Following Westcott was a trio of seniors, continuing a season-trend of the Golden Knights finishing closely together.
Patty Massa was 201st overall, coming in at 23:30.1. Cohen was clocked at 23:38.6 for a 207th overall finish while Welch timed in a 210th overall time of 23:47.8. Sophomore
Bianca Jordan was the final Golden Knight to score contributing team score points behind a time of 23:53.6 to come in 214th overall.
Giampaglia and sophomore
Kristen Harrington rounded out the seven Golden Knight representatives, posting overall finishes of 222nd and 234th respectively. Giampaglia posted a time of 24:03.9 and Harrington crossed the line in 24:41.5.
Rickert added, "I'm wholeheartedly thankful for our seniors who helped guide this group and today is a tribute to them. To make not one, but two NCAA Finals in their career says a lot about their dedication and determination. They make my job easy!"
In the overall team finishes, Grand Valley State captured its second team championship in three years by outlasting Augustana (SD) in 101 to 104 points. The Lakers top five finishers were inside the top 50 point finishes to claim the crown. Meanwhile, Adams State senior Alicia Nelson was the individual winner after coming in at 20:03.3, more than nine seconds better than the second place finisher.
Please visit
www.gogoldenknights.com for the latest news and results on Saint Rose athletics. Sign up for our SMS text message service to have results sent directly to your cell phone by
clicking here. Sign up for our E-Newsletter for the latest news by
clicking here and for information on the Golden Knights Club,
click here.
