Cross country impresses many

By Anthony Medoro
Collegian Reporter
October 18, 2006

With impressive performances at Williamsburg and the Pre-Nationals in Indiana, the Explorers continue to demonstrate why they receive national recognition in cross country.

The men’s team ran exceptionally well in the Colonial Inter-Regional hosted by the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. Sept. 30.

2005 NCAA qualifier Sean Quigley placed within four seconds of first place with a time of 23.55.0, leading the Explorers to a third place finish among the 10-team field of opponents.

“The men really did a great job,” coach Charles Torpey said. “For a lot of the guys, it was their first meet of the year, and they really ran well, considering some of the big schools we were up against.”

The team finished behind only the elite team from Georgetown University, which is ranked 14th in the nation, and the 25th-ranked host William and Mary.

Quigley wasn’t the only runner who was impressive in Williamsburg. The Explorers also had two other runners finish in the top 20. Senior Joseph Dare finished 11th, and junior Dave Alfano received a 19th place posting.

Because of their performances at William and Mary, both Quigley and freshman Trevon Rainford earned weekly honors from the Atlantic 10 Conference. They named Quigley the Performer of the Week, and Rainford the Rookie of the Week. Quigley received the honor after finishing second in the Colonial Inter-Regional.

“Sean’s a great leader,” Torpey said. “He’s a quiet guy who just gets the job done. I think that is the best way to lead a team.” Rainford took home his first weekly honor after his time of 25.30 on the 8k course enabled him to finish 27th of the 80 runners in the event.

“Trevon has a good attitude and a great work ethic. That goes for all of our freshman as well. They have improved a lot this year,” Torpey said.

The Explorers’ efforts in Williamsburg were important in preparation for the Pre-Nationals in which the team competed on Oct. 14.

The women’s team also competed in the Colonial Inter-Regional in Williamsburg Sept. 30. Junior Christa Plummer had a notable performance and finished seven seconds in front of her teammate, junior Carolyn Lipovsky, to lead the Explorers to finish fifth among the nine team field.

Plummer’s time of 22.34.4 put her in 12th place overall in a field of 102 runners. Lipovsky, who also ran well, placed 14th. The women totaled a score of 84 points and finished fifth among nine, four spots behind the powerhouse Georgetown team, ranked 24th in the nation, who won the event.

“The women ran well against some really tough competition,” Torpey said. “It was just a very intense meet with a lot of energy and no room for error.” Virginia took second place, while the host, 25th ranked William and Mary, finished third, and the University of Maryland placed just ahead of the Explorers.

The Explorers’ latest test came Oct. 14 when they competed in the Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute, Ind. Quigley and senior Rachel Papin excelled once again and were the top individual finishers.

“Sean and Rachel were great out there on Saturday,” Torpey said.

Quigley finished 15th overall with a time of 23.53.3. Papin placed 29th in the women’s race with a time of 20.50.6. Running on the same course that will host the NCAA Championships, the Explorer women finished 15th among the elite 36-team field. The men finished in 25th place.

“We were a little disappointed with our performance on Saturday,” Torpey said. “On a perfect day we would’ve liked the women to place around 12th, and the men 15th. Then again, everyone’s trying to have a perfect day too. But we did beat Notre Dame, Indiana, Ohio State and Missouri. I was very happy about that.”

The Explorers now look forward to the Atlantic 10 Championships at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh Oct. 28.

medoroa1@lasalle.edu