When a team expects nothing but perfection, it is hard to walk away from any sporting event you’ve just competed in not in first place.
The Stony Brook Seawolves’ women’s track team could do nothing but hold their collective heads up high after a fourth place finish this past weekend in the NCAA Northeast Regional.
The men were in the same boat, not performing up to standard, taking 16th place. Sophomore Tim Hodge was in contention to make a run at an individual bid in the NCAA Championships later in the month, but like his team, came up just short.
Also, just like his team, Hodge finished in 16th place, which placed the Seawolves with a time of 32:18.8.
Coming into the race, the women’s team was the favorite to win it all at this meet, seeing as how they came into it the top-ranked team.
The team, however, did not perform up to their own standards, seeing a fourth place finish as nothing short of a disappointment.
They placed behind Providence, Syracuse, and Boston College. The Seawolves were led by sophomore Holly Van Dalen, who crossed 12th overall in a time of 22:00.0.
Finishing behind one Van Dalen was the other Van Dalen. Freshman Lucy Van Dalen finished just two-spots later, crossing 14th with a time of 22:02.8.
Freshman Hayley Green crossed the finish line 19th in a time of 22:10.9, junior Laura Huet crossed 26th in a time of 22:21.8 and junior Jessica Hampson finished the Seawolves taking 47th in 22:44.8.
Coach Andy Ronan was upset with the final standings after the meet. “While we’re disappointed with the fourth-place finish today, I feel the success we’ve had at Notre Dame and the pre-NCAA meets will help us receive an at-large bid,” he said. “If that is what actually happens, it is going to be a great achievement to make it to the NCAA Championships for the second straight year.”
Coach Ronan will get his wish, as the NCAA granted the Seawolves an at-large bid from a pool of 13 teams, which included such schools as Florida, Illinois, and the two teams that beat them this past week, Providence and Syracuse.
“We are thrilled to be returning to the National Championships,” he said. “Only 31 teams in the country out of about 300 remain at this stage. No matter the sport, the goal is to be one of the teams competing in the final meet or game of the season.”
“This is a tribute to this group of young ladies who have worked hard and overcome many obstacles in the last month to defend their conference title and make a return trip to the national championship,” Ronan said. “Our goal now is to take another step forward with the program and have a top 25 finish next Monday.”
Tim Hodge’s performance was eagerly anticipated to thrill the entire team, hoping to be one of bids to make it to the NCAA championships.
But it did not happen on this day.
Fortunately for Hodge, he will still have two more years to qualify, which will make the upcoming seasons an exciting environment. In the present, however, Coach Ronan was not impressed with his team.
“I feel we did not perform up to our capabilities,” he said. “We need to figure out why that was and solve it the problem so we can become a top-ten team next year.”
Junior Alex Felce was the second male Seawolf to cross the finish line, taking 30th overall in a time of 32:53.0 and junior Daire Bermingham finished in 92nd place with a time of 34:22.7. Freshmen David Frankel and Gerard Harley crossed 124th and 127th, respectively.
The next step towards NCAA Cross Country immortality for the Seawolves will come on Nov. 24, where the ladies team will travel to Terra Haute, Ind., to compete in the NCAA Championships.
