Loyola Grabs Top-10 Finish At NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The Loyola University Maryland women's cross country team set a new standard for the Greyhounds, finishing a program-best 10th at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional hosted by UMES in Princess Anne, Md., on Saturday afternoon. The men's side also raced well, placing 24th.

The women's race, which was scheduled to be 6000 meters, went a little long after the lead vehicle went off course and added on an extra 600 or 700 meters for the competitors.

Loyola totaled 325 points to take 10th, beating the team's previous best finish of 12th. The squad finished just 13 points behind 9th-place Maryland. Villanova and Georgetown shared the team title with 57 points apiece.

"The girls did an amazing job," said head coach Rick Woods. "From our top runner all the way to our last, they raced well today. This is what we have been working towards all season and to see it come together like this is really great."

All five of the Greyhound scorers finished in the top 80, as Loyola was one of only eight teams to accomplish that feat at the 2011 regional.

After a top-10 finish at the MAAC Championships two weeks ago, sophomore Gabrielle Cocco led the Greyhounds once again, placing 46th with a time of 23:12.3.

Junior Jackie D'Antonio was next in 55th, crossing in a time of 23:28.9. Senior captain Stephanie Gibney placed 66th after navigating the 6k course in 23:48.0.

Junior Kiera Harrison and senior Emily Doucette rounded out the Greyhound effort in 78th and 80th, respectively.

The men's side closed out its season in 24th place with 665 total points. Junior DJ Puleo led the Greyhounds in 105th, finishing in 33:21.4.

Following Puleo was senior captain Matt Hassett in 117th with a time of 33:39.0, while classmate Ian McArtney took 124th after navigating the course in 33:48.8.

Tyler Ems and Brian Grimes rounded out the scoring for Loyola in 153rd and 166th, respectively.

 "I'm proud of our guys for how they have raced all season," said Woods. "A lot of them stepped up and had personal-best times today. It was a tough year with a small squad but they stayed healthy and did great."