Delaware Women’s Cross Country Heads to Georgia State for Colonial Athletic Association Championships Saturday Morning
October 28, 2011
File Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell
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HAMPTON, Ga. -- The University of Delaware women’s cross country squad will be looking for a much-improved finish this Saturday when the Blue Hens take part in the Colonial Athletic Association Cross Country Championships hosted by Georgia State University at the Nash Farm Battlefield.
The seven-team men’s eight-kilometer race will begin at 10 a.m. followed by the 10-team women’s six-kilometer competition at 11 a.m. Award ceremonies will be held after the women’s race. Admission to the event is free.
The Blue Hen women, led by fourth-year head coach Jim Fischer, will be looking to improve upon last year’s seventh place team finish, the team’s lowest since a seventh place showing during the 2002 campaign. Delaware’s most recent conference team title was a first place finish at the North Atlantic Conference Championship in 1995.
Led by the consistent one-two duo of sophomore Lindsay Prettyman and freshman Nicole Daly this season, the Hens are hoping to post their best finish since joining the CAA when the squad posted a third place finish in 2001. The Hens have averaged a fifth place championship finish during their 10 seasons in the CAA.
Delaware has competed in five meets this fall and enjoyed some outstanding showings, placing second at the Delaware Invitational on Sept. 17, second at the Delaware Blue & Gold Invitational on Oct. 15, and third at the Maryland-Eastern Shore Lid-Lifter on Sept. 3.
Prettyman and Daly have finished first and second for the Blue Hens in all five meets with Prettyman leading the way four times, including a season-best third place finish at the Blue & Gold Invitational. Daly led the Hens at the Paul Short Invitational back in September.
Eight other Delaware runners have posted Top 20 meet finishes at one point this season and should battle for top finishes. The group is led by Katie Deinert, Emily Gispert, Sophie Kauffman, Katrina Steenkamer, Meredith Steenkamer, Alyssa Kennedy, Hannah DeMartino, and Ali Lambert.
Both Daly and Prettyman, who placed 58th at the meet a year ago as a freshman, are looking to battle for top 10 finishes, something a Blue Hen runner has accomplished just four times since joining the CAA. Colleen O’Brien posted third place finishes in both 2004 and 2005 for the Hens while Christina Antonopoulos was eighth in 2007 and Julia Somers was 10th in 2006. The last Blue Hen to win a conference title was Sarah Cowles in 1996 at the America East Championships.
The William & Mary men will be looking to capture their 12th straight league title while James Madison will look to capture its second straight women’s crown after snapping William & Mary’s streak of seven straight championships last season. Host Georgia State along with Towson will also be among the teams to beat on the women’s side for the Blue Hens.
