Northeast Regional Championships
Friday, Nov. 15
Women's 6k – 11 a.m.
Men's 10k – 12 p.m.
University at Buffalo – Buffalo, N.Y.
The Niagara men's and women's cross country teams are preparing to send a dozen athletes to the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships tomorrow. Seven female runners (
Julia Freemire,
Meggie Hart,
Grace Kibler,
Nora Klinowski,
Annina Marullo,
Erin Murray, and
Elle Russell) and five male runners (
William Schwarzmueller,
Spencer Swoboda,
Joseph Tricarico,
Kevin Verdejo, and
Yuki Yasuda) will make up the squads for the Purple Eagles.
The race, originally slated to be held at Audubon Golf Course in Amherst, New York, was shifted to be held on the campus of UB after weather conditions affected the integrity of the original course.
Pre-Race Notes (Women)
- Entering the weekend, Klinowski has been Niagara's first finisher in each of Niagara's five meets this season. In her 6k at Lehigh on October 5, Klinowski set a new personal record by finishing the Paul Short Run in 22:15. Dating back to the start of her freshman season in 2017, Klinowski has finished first for Niagara in each of the 16 meets she has competed in.
- Marullo and Russell have also run in all five meets this fall. Marullo's 23:57 at the 6k Yellowjacket Invitational on September 14 was a personal best until Lehigh two weeks later (23:06). Russell also set a new personal 6k record at Lehigh, finishing in 24:51.
- The Paul Short Run saw four more runners break their previous personal bests in the 6k, including Freemire (24:00), Hart (23:03), and Murray (25:08). All told, seven of Niagara's 11 runners set new PRs that day.
- Kibler's time of 26:39 in the Yellowjacket Invitational 6k was her personal best.
Pre-Race Notes (Men)
- The Paul Short Run was a major success for the men as well. Five of the team's seven athletes broke their own personal bests in the 8k.
- Swoboda was one of the runners that clocked his best-ever 8k at Lehigh on October 5.
- Verdejo's first 8k of the season was also a personal best. In the 35 days between the Yellowjacket Invitational and the Canisius Alumni Classic, Verdejo shaved 69 seconds off his 8k time. His current personal record is 28:45.
- Schwarzmueller also ran his first 8k in Rochester, then finished 37 seconds under at Canisius to set his PR at 28:02.
- Tricarico's fastest 8k of the season came at Canisius, when he clocked a 28:23.
- Yasuda ran his first race for the Purple Eagles at the MAAC Championships on November 2. The newcomer completed the course in 29:02.55.
About the Northeast Regional Championships
- This will be the fourth time UB has hosted the regionals, and the third time in as many years. The Bulls first hosted the event in 2011.
- The women's squad went to regionals in 2018 – their first trip to the event in three seasons. Klinowski (24:59.6), Hart (25:29.0), and Freemire (25:59.0) all contributed to Niagara's team total, finishing 33rd out of 34 schools.
- This will be the first regional action for Marullo, Hart, and Murray.
- The men's side will make its first trip to regionals since 2015, and each of Niagara's participants will be competing in a 10k as Niagara student-athletes for the first time.
- In the team's last outing at a regional event, senior Nick Orlowski paced Niagara with a time of 33:36, good for a 167th place finish out of 247. As a team, the Purple Eagles finished 36th out of 37 squads.
Stay connected with Niagara Cross Country and Niagara Track & Field on Twitter. Follow Niagara Athletics all year long on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and purpleeagles.com.
