WORCESTER, MASS. 10/30/10 – Keene State cross country teams commanded the course at Moore State Park in Worcester on Saturday, capturing both the men's and women's Little East Alliance Championships.

            Led by junior Paige Mills' (Keene, N.H.) first place finish, the KSC women swept the first three places to win their 11th straight title with 19 points.  The Keene State men had three runners in the top five to recapture the title with 36 points.  The Owl men have also won 11 overall LEC Alliance crowns.

            Mills had a walk in the park, winning the women's 5K race with a time of 18:10.  She was 50 seconds ahead of junior teammate Andrea Walsh (Bolton, Conn.), who placed second with a time of 19:00.  Senior Amy Knoblock (Plymouth, Mass.) completed the sweep, placing third with a time of 19:10.

                "I honestly didn't  expect to feel so good today.  I was filled with endorphins throughout the race. I don't' know here they came from," said Mills. ". After the awards ceremonies I couldn't hold back yelling Keene State dominates.  It was an awesome day."

       "Paige was smiling around the course,' said KSC Coach Peter Thomas. "She made it look real easy."

            Juniors Haley Lydstone (Bedford, N.H.), who finished eighth (20:09) and Sarah Titus (Derry, N.H.), who was 11th (20:16) round out the top scorers for the Owls.

            Senior Eric MacKnight (Newtown, Conn.) was the first Owl to the finish line, placing second on the hilly five mile course with a time of 26:07.  Teammates, junior Kevin Hoyt (Newtown, N.H.) and senior Tim Pipp (Keene, N.H.) were right behind, finishing in third (26:19) and fourth place (26:22) respectively.  "The guys ran well, especially our top-three," said Thomas.

            Junior Corey Loonan (Sandwich, Mass.), who placed 13th (27:21) and sophomore Andrew Sears (Derry, N.H.) who was 14th (27:27), were the Owls' fourth and fifth runners. Freshman Ryan Widzgowski (Camden, Me.) also had a good day for KSC, finishing 15th with a time of 27:30.

            Salem State's Alex Gomes won the race with a time of 25:29.

            Keene State will be at the ECAC Championships next Saturday.