Runners prepare for final conference showdown
BOSTON, Mass. - Maria Sideri (North Andover, Mass.) and Kelly Meehan (Salem, Mass.) both ran personal bests at last weekend's Emmanuel Saints Invitational, and the team continues to improve in preparation for next weekend's New England Collegiate Conference Championships at Elms College in Chicopee, Mass. (Right: Sideri and Meehan race at Emmanuel Saints Invitational).
For head coach Bryan Mahoney, running a Franklin Park is always a great chance for runners to chase personal bests and it's a confidence boost heading into the championships.
Sideri's time of 25:14 was an improvement of 37 second over her previous personal best from Elms College this season.
"Maria ran the best race I've seen from a Wheelock runner this
season," said Mahoney. She started out aggressive, stuck with it
throughout the middle of the race and was rewarded with an
impressive PR. She really set an example that I'll look for the
rest of the pack to follow at NECCs.
Wheelock is hoping for at least a second place finish in next
week's championships, a result that is more than doable considering
the Wildcats' performance against other conference teams in several
meets this season.
"As a team, the women set a goal of finishing second in the conference this year," said Mahoney. "It's something that is within their reach and attainable, and they have shown throughout the season that they are worthy of being one of the top teams in the NECC."
In September, Wheelock put together a second place performance at the annual Daniel Webster College Meet, defeating four conference teams, and finishing behind only New Hampshire Technical College.
"What has been key for us this year is that we are a strong pack-running team, with our No. 3 - 7 runners consistently placing within a few seconds of each other," said Mahoney. "This is a huge advantage for us in scoring and it's been helpful for the women on a daily basis to be able to work together and push each other."
In the Emmanuel race, captain and senior Kate Needham (North Conway, NH), coming off a battle with the flu, still led the way for Wheelock, finishing first for the Wildcats (23:49), while freshman Kailah Simon (Norwalk, Conn.) continued to impress, taking the second place spot (24:34). Sideri climbed into third with her PB, while Caitlin Burke (Westborough, Mass.) took fourth (26:42). Sophomore newcomer Elizabeth Connolly (Belchertown, Mass.) notched another solid performance in only her second full race (26:25), taking fifth, while Meehan, Cara McAuliffe, Sarah Negron, and Molly Thomas rounded out the race.
As for next weekend, Mahoney is looking for the main pack of runners to close the gap on where Needham and Simon have been this season. "If they can approach the race with the type of fire Maria did last week, I'm confident they will be satisfied with the outcome," said Mahoney. "II'm proud of how hard these women have worked this season and the commitment they have shown to the team and each other. In just the second year of the program they have already accomplished so much, but there's still one very important race and one major accomplishment left on our agenda. If they run like they are capable of running I know we'll check that goal off the list as well."
