Shannon KeoughJunior Diane Gapinksi placed fourth overall at the Immaculata University Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 17 with a time of 21:09. She guided the Cabrini women’s cross country team to a fifth place finish on the wet and muddy race course against twelve other teams. Freshman Shatievah Lewis finished 17th overall with a time of 22:25.
“I prepared myself just by running lots over the summer and listening to my coach,” Gapinski said. “Coach O’Hora is the best coach ever! We [the team] have been working really hard. I always get a little nervous before races even though I have been running cross country since freshmen year of high school. It’s great to have an awesome team and we calm each other down. I was happy with Saturday’s results, the course was really wet from the rain which made it harder to run and made the times slower.”
Gwynedd-Mercy College’s Alycia Tranchitella won the overall crown with a time of 20:13. Ursinus College placed first in the women’s standings, while Marywood University and Gwynedd-Mercy College finished second and third. Cedar Crest College placed fourth and Cabrini took fifth place.
As for the men’s team, freshman Tyler Rooke led the team for the second week in a row. At Immaculata, Rooke finished the 8k run 11th overall with a time of 30:21. Jaiquann Beckham, also a freshman, finished with a time of 33:59 and placed No. 48. Sophomore, Anthony Girolamo placed No. 40, clocking a time of 34:00.
As for preparing for the race on Saturday, Rooke said, “I didn’t really prepare any differently for this race compared to others. Did a hard week’s worth of practice, took Friday off before the meet, and I went to bed early to get a good night’s sleep.”
Holy Family University’s Fred Tuwei placed first overall, tallying a time of 28:46. John Watts of Gwynedd-Mercy had a time of 29:01 and R.J. Every of Gwynedd-Mercy College clocked out with a time of 29:13. Gwynedd-Mercy College took first place on the men’s side. Cabrini returns to action following a one-week lay-off at the Philly Metro Meet on Belmont Plateau Saturday, Sept. 26.
