CHICAGO, Ill. (Oct. 2, 2010) - The Saint Francis women's cross country team overcame the wind, rain, and hail in Chicago to place in the top half of teams at the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational, taking 15th in a field of 41 and placing four runners in the top 100 of a field that included over 500 competitors.
According to Red Flash head coach Gordon Thomson, the conditions at the race were, "brutal," with high winds and heavy precipitation in the form of hailstones and rain falling upon the competitors.
"When one of these nor'easters comes in strong, it can really do a number," said Thomson. "The girls did a great job, especially at the beginning of the race, overcoming the weather."
That said, the Red Flash women issued a strong performance, competing with some of the Midwest's strongest cross country institutions. Katie Cianci (Greenville, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) (Greenville, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) was the high finisher for the Red Flash, taking 64th overall with a time of 19:05.
"Katie Cianci (Greenville, Pa./Kennedy Catholic) has really made the leap to becoming a very classy, determined cross country runner," said Thomson. "Last year, she improved by leaps and bounds in track & field, especially in the 1500m, and is now carrying that improvement all the way to 5000m. It's really something fun to watch."
Just behind Cianci was Sarah Grossi (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon McMillan) (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon McMillan), who took 78th overall but finished just six seconds (19:11) behind Cianci.
"Sarah Grossi (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon McMillan) has been Miss Dependable for us," said Thomson.
Jennifer Haffner (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) was mere steps behind Grossi, taking 83rd overall with a time of 19:13. Dani Williams (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) was the fourth place finisher for the Red Flash with a time of 19:20, and Hannah Reist (Cleona, Pa./Cedar Crest) (Cleona, Pa./Cedar Crest) rounded out the top-five with a time of 19:38.
Rebecca Webster (Lithia, Fla./Newsome) (Lithia, Fla./Newsome) and Feleisha Wright (Philadelphia, Pa./Jules Mastbaum) (Philadelphia, Pa./Jules E. Mastbaum) rounded out the scoring for the Red Flash, finishing in 19:58 and 20:02, respectively.
