KEENE, N.H. 10/4/08 - Owl men's and women's teams took advantage of running on their home turf for the only time this season, by posting wins at the 14th Annual KSC Cross Country Invitational on Saturday.

            The Keene State men, who have won the event 10 out of the past 11 years, placed six runners in the top-10 to capture the team championship with 16 points.  Fitchburg State was second in with 57 points in the four-team field.

            Keene State sophomore Brandon Schillemat (Nelson, N.H.) led the Owls with a second place finish, posting a time of 26:23 on the fast five-mile course.

            "It was familiar territory, so I just did what I could to hang on with the lead group," said Schillemat.  "I took a couple of years off, so last year was an education learning how to run again.  Getting that year under my belt, I finally feel I can concentrate more on racing and not just figuring out how to run."

            Sophomores Craig MacPherson (Derry, N.H.) and Jeff Trethewey (Merrimack, N.H.) were right behind Schillemat in third (26:37) and fourth place (26:51) respectively.   Senior Timothy Pipp (New Ipswich, N.H.) (6th/26:59) and Brian Anderson (Pembroke, N.H.) (8th/27:08) round out the top scorers for the Owls.

           "It was a nice run on a nice day," said KSC Coach Peter Thomas. "We knew there wasn't going to be much competition, but the guys put together a good performance."

           Jason Ayr unattached runner won the race with a time of 26:19.

            Keene State had three runners in the top-ten to claim the women's title with 34 points. Springfield College was second with 55 points in the six team field.

            For the second straight week, junior Rita Marcotte (Heath, Mass.) was the first Owl to the finish line, placing second with a time of 19:17.  

            "I was a little faster than I expected, but that's what I had to do to stay up in front, Marcotte said.  "At two miles I backed it off a little, so I could kick it in. It felt pretty good"

            "The women looked very good," said Thomas.  "We had five runners under 20 minutes. Everyone seems to be headed in the right direction"

            The Owls were packed in together.  Sophomore Amy Knoblock (Plymouth, Mass.) had her best performance of the season, placing third with a time of 19:17.  Two freshmen were next in line for the Owls.  Heather Pierce (Buckland, Mass.) was seventh (19:31) and Paige Mills (Keene, N.H.) was 12th (19:40).  Sophomore Nicole Slane was KSC's fifth runner, finishing 13th (19:44).

            Lauren Reddy of Wheaton College won the race with a time of 19:11

            Keene State is at the New England Championships next Saturday.

Top Individuals Men                                              Top Individuals Women  

 Team Scores Men      Team Scores Women

Complete Race Results Men/Women