One More On The Road

Nov. 20, 2002

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Terps are looking for a strong finish of their 2002 campaign at the ECAC/IC4A Championships at Fordham University this Saturday. The teams are coming off solid places at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional competition, and are hoping to sustain their season of improvement at this final race.

The 2002 ECAC/IC4A Championships

The meet will be held at Fordham University, in Van Cortlandt Park, New York, on Saturday, Nov. 23.

There are 31 teams entered in both the IC4A and the ECAC Championships, with seven teams competing in only the IC4As and three teams competing in only the ECACs.

The Competition

Three men's teams are nationally ranked and are looking for top spots on Saturday: Georgetown (13), Villanova (9) and William & Mary (23).

Several of the women's teams hold national rankings, and are expected to be top competitors at this weekend's race: Georgetown (7), Villanova (13), Penn State (22) and William & Mary (23).

Last Year at the ECAC/IC4A Championships

The Terp men took home ninth place out of 23 teams. The individual leader was Francis Ciganek, who placed 41st in the 8,000 meter race with a time of 26:39.9. Behind him was Matt Adami (Mount Airy, Md.), in 45th place with a 26:49.7. Mike Prada (Fulton, Md.) rounded out the top three Terp runners, posting a 26:54.7 to earn 50th place.

The women's team finished third out of 20 teams at last year's competition. Monique Berry paced the Terps, with an 18:55.3 in the 5,000 meter run, which was good enough for 12th place. Coming in second was Kristin Lubas, in 17th with a 19:08.5. Lorna Dorland (Rockland, Maine) finished seconds behind Lubas in 18th place.

Last Week at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals

Last Saturday in Davis, W.V., The men's team fell just short of their goal of finishing in the top 10 out of 31 teams, instead placing 13th. However, Maryland's 13th place finish is quite a significant accomplishment, since the last time they competed as a team in this event, they took 24th place.

Prada used his prior experience at the meet to aid him in pacing the Terps for the second time this season. He posted his highest finish ever at the NCAA regional competition, taking 43rd in the 10,000 meter race with a time of 31:57.2. This time was one minute faster than his time at last year's race. Coming in next for the Terps was sophomore Florent Groberg (Potomac, Md.), in 57th place with a 32.24.8. Fellow sophomore Adam Ambrus (Shamong, N.J.) finished with a 32.29.9 to take 64th place out of the 179-man field.

The women's team took eighth place out of a competitive 27-team field. The Terps' finish was the team's highest team finish in recent years, far surpassing their 17th place finish in 2000. Notably, the team was able to edge out American and Navy, who were ranked above Maryland prior to the race.

For the women, it was the freshmen who ran the strongest races last Saturday. Pacing the Terps for the sixth time this season was Katie Purcell (Coraopolis, Pa.), who took 21st place in the 6,000 meter race with a 21:47.1, setting a season-best time in this event. Allison Carney (Las Vegas, Nev.) took 43rd out of 188 women, posting a time of 22:41.7. The third fastest Terp was Cori Koch (Lutherville, Md.), who finished in 48th place with a 22:44.1.

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