Cross Country Celebrates Double Victory

Megan Barry was the top finisher in the women’s race with a new personal record time.

In its opening meet of the 2011 campaign, the University of Hartford men’s and women’s cross country teams torched the competition at the Trinity College Bantam Invitational, as both squads scored first place at Wickham Park on Saturday, Sept. 10. Highlighting the Hawks’ performances was sophomore Megan Barry, who was the top finisher in the women’s race with a new personal record time.

Barry tore up the 4,000-meter course, clocking in at 16:57 while outrunning her closest competitor by more than 27 seconds. In her first collegiate cross country meet, rookie Samantha Crisafulli was the second Hartford runner and fourth overall to complete the course with a time of 17:34.

Sophomores Rebecca Mendes, Jennifer Flores and Catherine Carey were the next three Hartford runners to cross the finish line, securing the eighth, 13th and 21st slots respectively. Mendes checked in at 17:47, a new 4k personal-best, while Flores and Carey finished in 18:07 and 18:45.

Newcomer Haley Rice and junior Stephanie Curcio rounded out the Hawks’ top seven, finishing just one second apart from each other. Rice’s time of 18:59 was good for 27th overall while Curcio was on her teammate’s heels at 19:00, taking 28th place.

Senior Andrew Chalmers paced the Hartford men, averaging a 5:24 mile and combining for a time of 16:44 on the 5,000-meter course. He claimed fourth place overall in the race and led a pack that placed six runners in the top 15. Not far behind Chalmers was classmate Kevin Brandon, who placed sixth overall and covered the course in 16:48.

Five Hartford runners finished within a nine-second span to round out the Hawks’ top seven and claim 11th through 15th place in the race. John Busque, a sophomore from Manchester, Conn., led the pack with a time of 17:10 for 11th place overall. Senior Wayne Lawrence clocked in just two seconds later at 17:12, while Andrew Dwyer rounded out the scoring for the Hawks with his time of 17:14.

Junior Robert Giuliani and senior Eric Flaman were the sixth and seventh Hartford runners to complete the course with their respective times of 17:17 and 17:19.

The Hartford men’s and women’s cross country teams will take a two-week break before returning to the course on Saturday, Sept. 24, for the Ted Owen Invitational, hosted by Central Connecticut State University. The race will be held at New Britain’s Stanley Quarter Park.