Underclassmen Pace Warriors at Skyhawk Relays Saturday
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Propelled by strong performances in the collegiate debuts of several freshman runners, the Merrimack cross country teams posted impressive finishes at the season-opening Skyhawk Relays hosted by Stonehill College on Saturday.
The Warriors fielded two relay teams for both the men's and women's side; for the women, the 'A' Team ran to an impressive fifth-place finish in a field of 33 teams, while the 'B' Team finished eighth overall. Meanwhile on the men's side, the 'A' Team raced to a ninth-place performance in a field of 25 teams, while the 'B' Team finished right behind in 10th place.
Led by the trio of freshman Kerry Phelan (Peabody, Mass.), senior Anne Bajor (Methuen, Mass.) and junior Brianna Devereaux (Londonderry, N.H.), the first women's relay squad finished in a very respectable fifth place. Meanwhile, sophomore Kelsey Grimmer (Shelton, Conn.), junior Fiona Coleman (Windsor, Conn.) and freshman Kristin Schmidt (Athens, N.Y.) helped the second relay team to an eighth-place finish.
"It was a good first day, a good first test for the women, and overall I was very impressed with what I saw," head coach Chris Cameron said afterward. "We sat out some girls due to injuries so we didn't have a full squad, so as the year goes on hopefully we'll get up to full strength and I think we'll see our results get even better."
On the men's side, the primary team of rookie Nick Christensen (Peabody, Mass.), sophomore transfer Sherif Ali and senior captain John Lawrence (Peabody, Mass.) earned a ninth-place finish in the 25-team field, just ahead of the second relay team comprised entirely of underclassmen: freshman Adam Gidley (Salem, N.H.), classmate Aaron Maurais (Hopedale, Mass.) and sophomore Luis Cruz (Lawrence, Mass.).
"We have a very young team for the men, but if you compared last year's results to this year's, our freshman stepped up and ran similar, maybe even a little quicker than the upperclassmen did last year," Cameron said. "It was a great first meet for the freshmen to show their commitment to the program.
"Overall, a good day for the men as well, and youth is going be the key so we have to keep them healthy as the season continues to move forward."
The Warriors return to the track next weekend, as both squads participate in the Shacklette Invitational hosted by Saint Anselm College starting at 11 a.m. for the women and 12 p.m. for the men.
--
