Both cross country teams competed in the 2006 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships and had strong finishes.
The men earned a eighth place while the women took home 22nd place. For the men, junior Brian Kopnicki took home the highest finish for the Lions, earning 21st place in 27:31. Sophomore Chris Guerriero was close behind with a finish of 27:39, taking home 27th.
"I was happy with 35th because it gets All-American honors and that was a main goal all year for me," Guerriero said.
Junior Galen Johnson also had a strong performance, finishing 48th in 28:08, while sophomore Greg Bull earned 94th in 28:45.
"The team gave a great effort and we finally had the team race we were looking for all season," Guerriero said. "A lot of guys like Kopnicki and Johnson really showed their abilities to step up when we needed it."
The Lions had a great improvement as they finished 10th in last year's race.
"We had a great season," Guerriero said. "We finished with most of our goals accomplished, and we came away with two All-Americans and an eighth place finish at Nationals."
Senior Jenna Fasulo was the top finisher for the women, placing 73rd with a time of 24:50. Junior Julie Ullmeyer followed in 92nd with a time of 25:09, and junior Erin Enderly finished in 108th in 25:22.
Sophomore Stephanie Herrick clocked in at 25:28 to earn 116th, while sophomore Megan O'Leary followed in 25:28 for 117th place. Seniors Jenna Prendergast and Martine McGrath earned 144th in 25:49 and 172nd in 26:21, respectively.
"Overall we weren't pleased with our performance," McGrath said. "Our entire season had been leading up to this race and we felt it was a disappointing way to end a season which we had high hopes for."
The women's team had an impressive 2006 season, earning first place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships, fifth place in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships and a second place finish at the NCAA Atlantic Regionals.
"As a team we are all pleased with the season overall," McGrath said. "But having such a poor performance at Nationals is disappointing."
