Complete Results
WAVERLY, Iowa – Senior Jeramie Parker earned All-American honors for the second consecutive year in leading Allegheny to a 15th-place finish at the 2010 NCAA Cross Country Championships. The team finish was far off the hopes and expectations of this highly distinguished group, but the result shouldn't detract from a marvelous season and one of the most successful classes in team history.
A few seconds here. A few seconds there. Competing against the nation's elite on an incredibly fast course, the difference between finishing inside the top 10 and the Gators' final spot on the leader board was decided by several yards of grass. The goal is to be ready to deliver the best performance at the end of the year, but everything failed to click at the right time for a senior-laden team that has competed at the peak of Division III for the past several seasons. Allegheny finished third overall at the 2009 NCAA Championships and captured the Mideast Regional Championship. Despite returning four of its top five runners, and kicking off the new campaign with a sensational start, the Gators found it difficult to recapture the glory of last season's magnificent postseason run.
“Finishing 15th certainly wasn't the goal,” indicated head coach Brent Wilkerson, “but our guys battled hard even when it was clear that we were not racing our best.”
Haverford College, which captured this year's national title, was defeated by Allegheny earlier in the fall, as where several other teams which closed inside the top five. The Gators rose to No. 2 in the national polls following a string of impressive mid-season efforts, but unfortunately achieved its competitive peak with the addition of the program's seventh consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference Championship. Despite the disappointing finish, the day was not without its shining moments. Parker, who finished 13th overall, secured his second straight All-American performance behind a time of 24:39.6.
“I'm glad to end my cross country career with such a strong race and the effort definitely leaves me with a good sense of satisfaction,” recalled Parker. “We didn't have the best day as a team, but I'm still very proud and so glad to be part of this team. We have a lot of talent and we'll turn our attention to the track where we know we're capable of achieving great things.”
Senior Ryan Sullivan finished second for Allegheny in a time of 25:11. Despite navigating the 8k circuit in a strong time, he finished 53rd against the talented field. Chris Marker split 25:38 to finish next for the Gators, although he was unable to replicate his All-American run from last campaign. Marker, who shattered the school record in the 5,000m last spring, will have plenty of opportunities to bounce back throughout the winter and spring track seasons.
Sophomore Mike Vlah split a career-best 25:49 and will play a key role as Allegheny looks to reload in 2011. Senior Zac Ross closed out the scoring for the Blue and Gold after sprinting through the chute in 25:59.
Junior Pat McLaughlin and senior Andrew Mahone also competed in the national championship race. McLaughlin finished in 26:27 while Mahone authored a clip of 26:45.
