College of Charleston
Towson Invitational
Cougars Stay Stellar in Inaugural CAA Meet
9/22/2013 12:24:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
TIMONIUM, Md. -- The College of Charleston men's and women's cross country teams continued their sprightly start to the 2013 seasons with another strong showing at the Towson Cross Country Invitational.
The cross country program became the College's first representatives in Colonial Athletic Association competition on Saturday, at Oregon Ridge Park, in Timonium, Md., where both the men and women finished in third place amidst a talented nine team field.
The venue that housed the race is the same terrain that the Cougars will race on in early November when they return to Timonium for the conference championships. Known for its hilly features and gradients, the course marks a departure from the flat conditions the Cougars are used to competing in and will become a routine aspect of most races within the Colonial.
“I'm really glad we got a look at this course ahead of time,” said head coach Amy Seago. “We now have six weeks to better prepare ourselves to the handle the hills.”
Leading the Cougars on the men's side was the heralded duo of Adam Seften (Bolton, Conn.) and Mackenzie Johnston (Hilton Head, S.C.). Seften and Johnston have already both been named CAA Runner of the Week so far this season and put their skills back on display Saturday. Seften, a junior who won the Carolina Challenge in the season's opening event, finished second overall with a lightning quick time of 26 minutes, 14.59 seconds. Johnston – who set a new school record last weekend at the Furman Cross Country Classic – finished in fourth place out of forty eight competitors with a time of 26:24.62. Also performing well for the Cougar men were runners Alex Couch (Hilton Head, S.C.), Josh Tierney (Bluffton, S.C.), Sean McMahon (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) and Tyler Wood finishing in 22nd, 26th, 27th and 32nd place, respectively.
“Adam and Mac ran tough,” said Seago. “We need to tighten up our pack on the men's side. I think the hills got the best of us today, but the good news is that we know what we need to prepare for now and we will be better off as a result of this trip up north.”
On the women's side, the Cougars were paced by junior Hayley McMahon (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), who finished 27 seconds off the lead in seventh place. It was unique event for McMahon, who less than 24 hours prior to the race was sitting in an emergency room receiving treatment after getting her fingers smashed in between two doors in the teams van right prior to departing for the airport. Ushered to the hospital by Seago, Coach Yocum and athletic training staff, McMahon eventually was able to make the trip – albeit on board a later flight.
Also performing well for the women was junior Trish Rein (Philadelphia, Pa.), running a time of 18:32.68. Rein has started the season off very well, combining with McMahon to create a formidable tandem in the front of the pack.
The entire Cougar team finished in the top half of the women's bracket, including Danielle Sams (Goose Creek, S.C.), Carlee Cassidy (Lindsay, Ontario, Canada), Elle Brewer (Knoxville, Tenn.), Cara Butcher (North Massapequa, N.Y.) and Emily Sanders (Greenville, S.C.).
“We ran pretty well on the women's side, said Seago. “Trish and Hayley are a pretty good one-two punch for us. Hayley proved she doesn't need her fingers to run. I feel confident with several more weeks to train that they will be closer to Delaware's number one and two. I think Danielle and Elle ran well today. We do need to work on tightening up our 3-5 gap if we want to achieve our goals in November, and this meet was all about gaining experience to help us later.”
For those student-athletes who weren't able to make the Towson trip, they will be participating in the Citadel meet next weekend. The next regularly scheduled meet for the Cougars takes place, Friday, Oct. 4., in Boone, N.C. at the Mountaineer Open.
College of Charleston Results:
Men's 8K:
Seften, Adam -- 26:14.59
Johnston, Mackenzie -- 26:24.62
Couch, Matthew -- 28:28.65
Tierney, Joshua -- 29:03.33
McMahon, Sean -- 29:19.40
Wood, Tyler -- 29:41.03
Women's 5K
McMahon, Hayley -- 18:20.06
Rein, Patricia -- 18:32.68
Sams, Danielle -- 18:48.10
Cassidy, Carlee -- 18:52.63
Brewer, Elle -- 19:47.89
Butcher, Cara -- 19:59.32
Sanders, Emily -- 20:01.29
Photo Caption: Cougars cross country enjoys a nice, well-dressed dinner the night before their successsful outing at the Towson Invitational.
Players Mentioned
