Oct. 27, 2011 Queens, N.Y. - The St. John's cross country team has been improving all season long and the BIG EAST Championship this Saturday, Oct. 29, is an opportunity to show just how far they've come. The Red Storm will travel down to Louisville, Ky. to compete against conference rivals at 11:50 a.m. on Saturday for a chance at the prestigious BIG EAST cross country title. Last season a young St. John's cross country team placed 14th at the Syracuse-hosted championship event. In 2011 they'll travel south with another year of experience and the confidence from a recent run of success. St. John's is led by a trio of seniors in Nicole Cocozza, Samantha Meyerhoff and Aryon Trujillo who are all now veterans of the rigorous BIG EAST competition. The cross country team has also placed in the top-three in all but one event this season, and is coming off an impressive team title at their annual STJ Cross Country Fall Festival. "We are really looking forward to the BIG EAST Championship and the opportunity to bring out our best performance," said head cross country coach Jim Hurt. "Our training has been very good and we are well prepared for the challenge ahead. We are anticipating some great races from our runners in the conference championship." Since last year's BIG EAST race, almost all of the members of the St. John's cross country team have improved their 6K times. The team hasn't run a 6K race since the first weekend of the season, but their training has kept them building towards the championship race season. Last year's team peaked at the in their last race at the ECAC Championship and has continued to improve ever since.
Cocozza has emerged as a leader for the Red Storm as she has led the team in every race except one in 2011. She continues to set personal-best times and took home the individual title at the St. John's hosted Fall Festival two weekends ago. The Red Storm will also be helped by juniors Michelle Duffy and Alexis Bean who make their first BIG EAST championship appearance after battling injuries the past couple of falls. Duffy and Bean have both been consistent top-five finishers for St. John's this season and will be instrumental in helping continue the Red Storm's improvement. A climb up the BIG EAST standings won't be easy as the conference boasts some of the best teams in the nation. Villanova enters as the two-time defending NCAA Champion and won the BIG EAST title last fall. The BIG EAST conference also boasts a nation-high seven teams within the USTFCCA's top 30 rankings. Check in with Redstormsports.com on Saturday and all season long to get team results and follow @STJ_Track_XC to get the most up to date news on St. John's cross country and track & field programs. |
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