DORCHESTER, Mass. - Senior Kara MacLean (Braintree, Mass.) posted a personal-record time of 20:08.2 to lead the Simmons College women's cross country team at the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association Championship this morning at historic Franklin Park in Dorchester, Mass.
The Sharks placed 21st as a team in the five kilometer race that featured Division I, II and III squads. Boston College was the top team finisher overall and Tufts University was the best Division III entry. Simmons placed ninth among Division three squads. Sophomore Askbrook Gwinn won the individual five kilometer race for Boston College with a mark of 18:33.2. Sydney Smith of Tufts University was the top Division III winner coming in at 18:53.6.
MacLean bettered her previous best by 27 seconds and finished just nine seconds from breaking the 20-minute mark with 20:08.2. The senior placed 70th overall in the race and 21st among Division III runners. First year Samantha Jaffe (Fayetteville, N.Y.) matched her best time at 20:30.5 and placed 109th and 39th. Sophomore Allegra Egizi (Beverly, Mass.) clipped her personal-record time by two seconds at 20:51.3 to finish 142nd and 56th.
Junior Sara Harland (Pembroke, Mass.) turned in the best time of her career by 16 seconds and placed 189th and 74th, while senior Tiff Lo (Braintree, Mass.) showed the most dramatic time improvement on the team, beating her old mark by 34 seconds on a time of 22:28.3 and placed 257th and 102nd. Junior Madison Rivard (Sharon, Mass.) finished in the scoring for Simmons with a mark of 23:11.6 to place 276th and 115th. Senior Monica Khun (Phnom Penh,Cambodia/Lawrence HS (Mass.)) was the final person to score for the Sharks, finishing 283rd and 119th with a time of 23:25.6 to cut 22 seconds off her previous best.
First year Sarah Colbert (Lynnfield, Mass.) posted a time of 24:36.5 to edge her previous best by a second. She placed 310th overall and 138th among D-III competitors. Senior Marilyn Baremore (East Lyme, Conn.) and first year Jess Politano (Holbrook, Mass.) each posted personal-record times to give Simmons eight runners with their best career times. Baremore clocked in at 25:13.7, a mark 20 seconds better than her former personal record to finish 310th and 138th, while Politano was a second better than her previous best at 25:40.4 to place 314th and 141st.
Simmons wil race again on Sunday, October 18 at the Seven Sister's Championship, hosted by Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pa.
