Complete Results
OBERLIN, Ohio – Paced by sophomore Kelly Gallagher's superb individual effort, Allegheny women's cross country wrapped up the regular portion of its schedule with a ninth-place finish out of 26 teams at the 2010 Regional Rumble hosted by Oberlin College.
In what served as a mini-preview for the North Coast Athletic Conference Championships, the Gators finished second against its league opponents as reigning NCAC champions Oberlin closed sixth overall on the team board. The Yeowomen were led by individual winner Joanna Johnson, while Allegheny finished 24 points back with two finishers inside the top 20.
Gallagher set a personal record for the second consecutive week, running 22:35 in the 6000-meter circuit to finish 11th out of 284 runners. Freshman Kristina Martin also enjoyed a great race, finishing in 22:46 en route to 19th overall.
“It was a nice change to run on a dry course,” joked Gallagher. “I thought our top group worked well together, and I personally felt strong throughout the entire race.”
Allegheny's top group also included senior Katie Stancik, who slipped off the pace in the final mile to finish 35 seconds behind Gallagher. Stancik recorded a time of 23:10, and closed 37th overall.
There was a significant drop off for the Gators after their first three, not the best indicator for a team looking to close the gap among its top five ahead of the conference meet. Junior Amber Wetzel ran 23:48 to finish fourth for Allegheny, while sophomore Sara Mitrano closed out the team scoring after crossing the line in 23:56.
“It wasn't the best performance for our women,” lamented head coach Brent Wilkerson. “Kelly had a nice pr, and some of our ladies continued to show a consistent level of improvement, but as a team we'll need to be much better if we want to contend for an NCAC title.”
