University of Connecticut Athletics
Women's Cross Country Set For BIG EAST Championships
10/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Oct. 29, 2010
Storrs, Conn. - BIG EAST Championship Central: CLICK HERE
The UConn women's cross country team looks to put a positive stamp on an already successful season with a strong performance at the BIG EAST Championships in Syracuse, N.Y. on Saturday, October 30. The Huskies will compete in the 6K-course at Jamesville Beach, hosted by Syracuse University. The race begins at 10:30 a.m.
 | "Right now our focus is to continue to move up in the BIG EAST and establish ourselves on the heels of some of the other traditional powerhouse cross country teams, like Notre Dame and West Virginia, and try to take out teams that we have not been able to beat in the last few years like Marquette, Louisville, and Cincinnati. We just want to show the conference that the UConn Women's Cross Country Team is for real." Head Coach Andrea Grove-McDonough |
UConn has performed well as a team this season, highlighted by the program best, second-place finish at the 2010 New England Championships on October 9. In eight races this season, UConn placed in the top-three in six, including victories at the Army Invitational on September 3 and the CCSU Mini Meet on October 23. The Huskies look to extend that success into the BIG EAST Championships.
"I would like to see everyone come away with the feeling that they left it all out there on the course. No excuses, no regrets. We always want the team to perform their best at the most important time of the year - so ideally we will have several personal bests or at least seasonal bests from individuals on the team," said Head Coach Andrea Grove-McDonough.
At the New England Championships, UConn ran as a cohesive unit with the top-three finishers crossing the line just eight seconds apart. UConn was led by freshman Allison Lasnicki (Canastota, N.Y.) who placed 14th overall in 18:02. Lasnicki was followed by freshman Lauren Sara (Stratford, Conn.) in 18th at 18:08 and sophomore Shauna McNiff (Hingham, Mass.) in 19th at 18:10.
"We may not have the superstar up front that a lot of the teams have but what we do have is a much deeper team than many of those ranked near us and ahead of us. A lot of the teams have a significant drop off after their fifth runner so if one of them has an off day it really hurts their team score. We have such a tight group all the way through our top seven or eight even, that to a certain degree we can absorb that. Of course I would like to see one of our top three have that break out race, so to speak, and really set the tone for the team. We need to exploit that tight pack and move four and five even closer to that tight three we have," added Grove-McDonough on the UConn strategy this weekend.
UConn will look to best its top performance in the past decade with a top-seven finish. UConn finished 8th in 2000 and in 2003. In 2009, the Huskies placed 10th and were led by current sophomore Megan Jacoby (Endwell, N.Y.). Jacoby placed 54th and finished in 23:21. UConn ran as a tight group in 2009 as well, placing all five scoring athletes just 14 places apart.
The Huskies will face the most difficult opposition of the season at the Conference Championships on Saturday, highlighted by No.1 Villanova. UConn will also be up against stiff competition from No. 5 Georgetown, No. 8 Syracuse, No. 13 Providence. Beneath those national powers are a group of strong regional powers the Huskies look to surpass including West Virginia, Notre Dame, Rutgers and Cincinnati.
For a recap of the BIG EAST Championships, check back at UConnhuskies.com on Saturday.
Players Mentioned
