Ready for the first full slate since 2019, the UMass Lowell cross country program returned to the course eager to build on the success of their shortened 2021 campaign.
“Overall, it was an outstanding effort for the men’s and women’s teams. We sat a number of our runners on each side and used this weekend as an early benchmark for the others. I was most impressed with each of the runners pushing through the discomfort of the first race effort of the season” - Head coach Gary Gardner
For the men, returner Ben Drezek paced the squad to a second-place team victory with a personal-best 8K. The Rhode Island native crossed the finish line at 25:23.8 to pick up second overall in his season opener. Joining Drezek in the top-10, rookie Wouter van den Akker, junior Eoin Dooley and sophomore Tyler Parrado earned sixth, seventh and tenth, respectively, to round out the top finishers for the River Hawks.
The squad’s early success continued as they headed to the UMass Dartmouth Invitational the following weekend.
Turning in an outstanding team performance, the men’s squad highlighted the day with a dominated 44-point win. Leading the pack in the five-mile test, junior William Cole-French set a personal-best (24:10.40) to take fourth overall. Not far behind, freshman Wouter van den Akker crossed the line in 24:13.4 to place fifth. Graduate student Justin Carbone closed out the top-10 for UMass Lowell, placing tenth off a career-best 24:47.7.
A trio of River Hawks represented the women’s crew at the UMass Dartmouth invitational, with each runner setting a new personal best in the 5K. Senior Olivia Sheffield paced the women’s side with fifth place off an 18:05.9 time, shaving 40 seconds off her personal best time set in 2018. In just her second career appearance, freshman Delaney Swanson improved by nearly a minute to finish in 18:47.2, while junior Allison Anusauskas took 50 seconds off her collegiate best to finish in 19:06.6.
Battling through a tough midseason slate the River Hawks were put to the test as they tackled the 2021 Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown, the Paul Short Invitational, the 2021 NEICAAA Cross Country Championships and the Nuttycombe Invitational hosted by Wisconsin.
With the conference championship quickly approaching, the River Hawks had one final chance to tune up at the CCSU Mini Meet. Competing in four races – the men’s varsity, men’s sub-varsity, women’s varsity and women’s sub-varsity – the River Hawks picked up four top-10 finishes including a first-place finish in the men’s sub-varsity.
On the men’s side, Eoin Dooley led the men’s team with a 16th-place finish in the men’s varsity off a 15:20.4 time. Just behind Dooley, graduate student Cody Moran just narrowly missed his career-best mark to take 17th overall. Dominating the sub-varsity course, the River Hawks had nine runners finish in the top-20 to handily take first. With the top finish, sophomore Tyler Sullivan won the race and set a personal-best time of 15:17.17.
Leading the ladies through the varsity event, sophomore Mary Yount brought in a top-50 finish to help lead the River Hawks to ninth in the team standings. In the sub-varsity 5K, the River Hawks had five runners set personal bests, including Vivian Mac, Kristin Hohenstein, Asaliah Mirambeaux, Leah Rudolph and Julia Hovasse.
The River Hawks’ season came to a head at the 2021 America East Cross Country Championships when UMass Lowell swept the title for the second-consecutive season.
“Sweeping two years in a row is pretty cool. It’s not something we thought we’d ever do when we moved up to Division I, so it’s really special for everyone” - head coach gary gardner
In addition to the conference title, the River Hawks finished the season with a number of conference accolades, including eight All-Conference First Team honorees, five All-Conference Second Team honorees, one Elite 18 winner, a Most Outstanding Rookie recipient and Coaching Staff of the Year.
In their final outing of the 2021 campaign, the River Hawks hosted the 2021 NCAA East Regional at Franklin Park. Battling through soggy conditions and intermittent rain, UMass Lowell capped another record-setting season with a pair of top-10 finishes as the men’s and women’s programs ran to sixth and seventh-place marks, respectively.
The River Hawks continued to bring in the accolades as the curtain dropped on the year. Capping the season on a high note, UMass Lowell topped the conference with seven athletes named to the America East Cross Country All-Academic Team.
Additionally, the river hawks had a conference-best three USTFCCCA All-Region honorees in Kyle Cloutier, Emily Sessa and Drew Everett.