St. John's University Athletics
Cross Country Opens This Weekend At Hofstra Invitational
9/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
(Sept. 7, 2007)
QUEENS, N.Y. - With experience and newly added depth to the long-distance roster, head coach Jim Hurt is looking for an improvement from 2006 as the Red Storm opens its 2007 cross country season at the Hofstra Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 8 in Bethpage, N.Y.
The team returns three point-scoring runners from last season, junior Rakibat Abiola, sophomores Pam Petruski and Sarah Fry.
Petruski and Abiola helped round out the top three runners in 2006 with graduated seniors Jodey Johnson and Jane Vongvorachoti. With their return, the Red Storm managed to hold on to part of its core point scoring squad. Petruski finished first for the Red Storm at the ECAC Championships last season with a 5k time of 19:51. Petruski, Abiola and Fry all competed at the NCAA Regional Championships and hope to have a repeat performance Nov. 10 at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass.
Junior Tyneka Greene will also join the Red Storm on the course this season, after transferring from York College in 2006. At York, Greene ran the top five cross country times at Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, N.Y. and holds both the 3,000m and 1,500m CUNY record.
Five long-distance freshman join the 2007 cross country squad: Sarah Sudbury, Lori Dougherty, Amanda Littlejohn, Courtney Kolinsky and Kayla Regulski.
"We're much deeper than we have been in the past few years," said Hurt. "We are still very young, and without a senior on the team it will most likely be a learning experience, but I think we are looking at a team that will be able to run close together and ideally have a core group of athletes that will run at the front of most races."
The five encompass talent from all parts of the country. Sudbury ran as one of the top-20 athletes at the Wisconsin State Championships and was state championship runner up in the 800m run. From East Patchogue, N.Y., Dougherty was a significant point scorer at Bellport High School's three-time league and county champion cross country team, and Kolinsky was named the Nike Gatorade Rookie of the Year at Parkvista High School in Lake Worth, Fla. Littlejohn and Regulski from Philadelphia and Medway, Ohio, respectively, round out the traditional long-distance freshmen.
Originally recruited as mid-distance track and field runners, Hurt will also add support to his cross country pack with rookie athletes such as Kim Piard, Ashlee Payne, Katrina Schaefer, Shakira Best and Laura Walsh.
"Piard has the potential to become a really good distance runner as time goes on, as do the other freshmen" said Hurt. "A good year from Fry and Petruski, with help from Greene and Abiola, and Sudbury keeping a good pace and running with them will provide for a very good top five group."
The cross country team will start the season at nearby Bethpage, N.Y. for the Hofstra Invitational on Sept. 8. They will then travel west to the National Catholic Meet at Notre Dame on Sept. 14 to face the best Catholic teams from around the country. Seven runners will travel to Notre Dame, Ind., to this prestigious meet.
With some practice out west, Hurt hopes to solidify his team to be ready to face similar competition at the BIG EAST Championships on Oct. 26 in Louisville, Ky. In between, the Red Storm will travel to Fairfield, Conn., on Sept 29, followed by back-to-back local meets, with the Metropolitan Championships at Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, N.Y. on Oct. 5 and the STJ Cross Country Fall Festival on Oct. 14 at Cunningham Park in Queens, N.Y.
After the BIG EAST Championships, the team will continue on to the NCAA Northeast Regional Nov. 10 at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass. and the ECAC Championships at home at Van Cortlandt Park on Nov. 17.
For the most up-to-date information on St. John's athletics please visit www.RedStormSports.com or call our hotline at 1-888-GO-STORM.
Players Mentioned
