Nov. 13, 2010
Results
ROCHESTER, Mich. – University of Dayton women’s cross country finished in the top 10 of the NCAA Division I Great Lakes Regional for the first time in program history on Saturday at Katke-Cousins Golf Course with two All-Region performers – seniors Maureen Bulgrin and Liz Coorey.
“This is one of the top team performances in team history,” Head Coach Sarah Hinkley said. “Finishing ninth out of 33 teams is a pretty big deal. They have been training hard all season for this and today we proved that we belong in the top 10 of the (Great Lakes) Region. We had great performances all around. They surprised a lot of coaches and teams today, but this was our goal at the beginning of the season and we expected to do as a team.”
Bulgrin earned All-Region status by setting a personal-best 6K time of 20:57.75 and will wait to see if she will be the second Dayton women’s harrier to compete at the NCAA Championship on Nov. 22 in Terre Haute, Ind. Laura Schweitzer was the first, earning All-America honors in 1990.
“Maureen ran a beautiful, smart race and that is what she has been working on all season,” Hinkley said. “She has become more aware of what other runners around her are doing and not letting them dictate her race. She wasn’t getting passed, if anything she was doing the passing. She didn’t feel good the whole race because she was pushing it to the limit.”
Coorey finished 25th with a time of 21:26.27 to join Bulgrin in becoming the first pair Dayton runners to earn All-Region honors in the same meet.
With solid performances from each of the seven Flyers competing on Saturday, Dayton earned its highest finish in a Great Lakes Regional at ninth with a total of 248 points. The Flyers entered the weekend ranked No. 12 in the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association top 15.
“They all came together for a great race, Hinkley said. “To finish ninth in the region all seven runners’ performances really matter. It all has to come together and they had great races from our top runners to our seventh runner, so every single one made a big impact. Their legs were really prepared to race today.”
The Flyers’ third- through seventh-place team finishers all set 6K personal-bests on Saturday – Junior Elissa Mason (21:43.17), junior Emily Zimmerman (22:15.73), freshman Cargill (22:36.72), sophomore Taylor Beyerle (22:44.27), and junior Lindsey Cummings (22:55.44).
Dayton - Great Lakes Regional
12. Maureen Bulgrin, 20:57.75 *
25. Liz Coorey, 21:26.27
40. Elissa Mason, 21:43.17 *
75. Emily Zimmerman, 22:15.73 *
96. Nicole Cargill, 22:36.72 *
102. Taylor Beyerle, 22:44.27 *
112. Lindsey Cummings, 22:55.44 *
* - personal best
