KEENE, N.H. 9/3/11 – Hot and humid conditions didn't stop Keene State College seniors Paige Mills (Keene, N.H.) and Kevin Hoyt (Newtown, Conn.) from racing to wins at the KSC Alumni Cross Country Invitational held at Owl Athletic Complex on Saturday.
Mills, an All-American, had a walk in the park, finishing the two-mile race with a time of 11:22. She was 47 seconds ahead of senior teammate Andrea Walsh (Bolton, Conn.) who placed second with a time of 12:09.
"It was warm out there, but I felt very comfortable," said Mills. "It was great running with the whole team."
Hoyt pulled ahead at the mile and a quarter mark of the race and held on for the victory, posting a winning time of 15:47 on the 5K course. "It was hot and wet in some parts, that didn't slow me down," he said.
KSC alum Josh Ferenc was right behind Hoyt, taking second in a time of 15:53. Ferenc wasn't at top speed having run 31 miles a week ago at the World 50K Championship in the Netherlands. "My bodies really hurting, but I was glad I was able to come back and run."
The Keene State women placed four runners in the top five spots to win the team championship with 17 points. UMass-Lowell was second with 48 points. Junior Maggie Fitter (Branford, Conn.) placed fourth (12:31), senior Sarah Titus (Derry, N.H.) was fifth (12:34) and freshman Kaley Mientkiewicz (Hanson, Mass.) round out the Owl scorers, placing eighth (12:56).
"The top returnees were terrific and the freshmen were close behind," so it was a step in the right direction for the women," said KSC Coach Peter Thomas.
The Keene State alums outscored the current Owls 28-62 to capture the men's championship for the fifth time in the past seven years. Junior Tom Paquette (Bolton, Conn.) was the Owls' third runner, placing 10th (16:08). He was followed to the finish line by sophomore Ryan Widzgoski (Camden, Me.), who was 11th (16:20), junior Andrew Sears (Derry, N.H.)who was 19th (16:57) and junior Chance Wilk (Burnt Hill, N.Y.) who was 21st (17:01).
"It was nice to have a current Keene State runner win the race for a change," said Thomas. "Kevin was terrific. It was nice to see that we have a legit front-runner."
Keene State will take next week off and compete at the Maine Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 17 at Bowdoin College.
Top Five Runners – Women
- Paige Mills (Keene State) – 11:22; 2. Andrea Walsh (Keene State) – 12:09: 3. Amy Knoblock (KSC Alum) – 12:26 4. Maggie Fitter (Keene State) – 12: 31; 5. Sarah Titus (Keene State) – 12:34;
Team Scores - Women
Keene State – 17, UMass-Lowell – 48, Clark- 91, Assumption – 128, Fitchburg – 153, Lasell – 154, Norwich- 156;
Top Five Runners – Men
- Kevin Hoyt (Keene State) – 15:47; 2. Josh Ferenc (KSC Alum) – 15:53; 3. Tony Fierimonte (Assumption) – 15:55; 4. Peter Gatundu (AIC) – 16:01; 5. Peter Najem (KSC Alum) – 16:04;
Team Scores - Men
Keene State Alums – 28, Keene State – 62, UMass-Lowell – 70, Assumption – 123, Fitchburg – 133, AIC – 154, Norwich – 169, Clark – 202, Lasell – 267;
