Cymerman, Saints Dominate NCAA Atlantic Regional

Home › Women's cross country ›

in
by: 
Courtesy UR Athletic Communications
Amy Cymerman is congratulated by coach Mike Howard after her regional win

Nov. 10: There wasn't a lot of suspense for the St. Lawrence University women's cross country coaching staff and its fans when it came to the 2012 NCAA Atlantic Regional Cross Country qualifier at Genesee Valley Park in Rochester on Saturday.


The Saints had four runners in the top ten at the 2 kilometer mark and went on to win their fourth straight Atlantic Region championship in impressive fashion, finishing 86 points in front of second place Geneseo in a 39-team field. The top two teams in the region earn automatic berths in next weekend's NCAA Division III Championship in Terre Haute, IN, and the Saints will be making their fifth straight championship appearance.


Junior Amy Cymerman continued her streak of big race finishes, running in or near the lead from start to finish and winning the individual title with a 21:37.5 clocking on the 6 kilometer course. She finished 10.1 seconds in front of Rochester's Lauren Norton for her second straight win. She adds the Atlantic Regional title to the Liberty League crown won two weeks ago and she was second in the NYSCTC Championship.


The Saints finished with three in the top ten and all five scorers in the top 25 to compile a team score of 49 points. Geneseo was a distant second with 135 and earned the other automatic qualifying spot while NYU was third with 154, Rowan fourth with 182 and Ithaca fifth with 221. NYU, Rowan and Ithaca are eligible for at-large selections to the NCAA race to be determined Sunday.The Saints swept the Atlantic Regional, Liberty League and NYSCTC championships for the fourth straight year.


First year Ella Martin was the second Saint finisher and the top rookie runner in the race, fifth overall in 22:02.6 while senior Jackie Lemme had her best race of the season and was the third Saint finisher, seventh overall in 22:17.3.


First year Margaret MacDonald was the fourth Saint finisher in 14th overall with a time of 22:29.9 while senior Caroline Raue completed the Saint scoring with a 22nd place finish in 22:40.9 as the Saint top five finished within 1:03.4 of each other. Lizzy Edwards was the sixth Saint finisher in 25th overall in 22:45.5 and Ariel Beccia, coming off an injury, was the seventh Saint finisher with a 28th place finish in 22:51.9.