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No. 2 Saints clinch third straight NYSCTC title in women's cross country

Posted 10/23/10

The nationally-ranked No. 2 St. Lawrence University women's cross country team claimed the 2010 NYSCTC Championship on Saturday afternoon in Saratoga Springs, NY. The Saints, led by Wendy Pavlus' …

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No. 2 Saints clinch third straight NYSCTC title in women's cross country

Posted

The nationally-ranked No. 2 St. Lawrence University women's cross country team claimed the 2010 NYSCTC Championship on Saturday afternoon in Saratoga Springs, NY. The Saints, led by Wendy Pavlus' record-setting time, posted a low score of 28 points to defeat Ithaca and win the state crown for the third consecutive season.

Pavlus blitzed the course with a time of 16:49, establishing a new course record on a storied track which has hosted numerous championship races over the years. The victory was the sixth straight for the Tupper Lake, NY native dating back to the 2009 season, and earned her NYSCTC Runner of the Year honors.

"Wendy was phenomenal today, and overall, it was a very solid team performance," said St. Lawrence head coach Mike Howard, who was named the NYSCTC Coach of the Year for the second straight season. "I'm pleased with the way we ran as we enter the championship portion of our season."

Junior Jenna Hulton, the defending individual champion, was the runner-up in the race with a time of 17:50, 1:01 behind Pavlus. Senior Megan Derby was fourth overall in 18:00, while first-year student Amanda Moreland was eigth with a time of 18:14. The finish for Moreland landed the Bloomfield, NY native NYSCTC Rookie of the Year honors.

Sophomore Jackie Lemme capped her team's scoring with a 13th place finish overall in 18:44. First-year students Kate Powers (22nd, 18:56) and Toria Koutras (32nd, 19:08) rounded out the St. Lawrence line-up on Saturday.

St. Lawrence defeated Ithaca (46) by 18 points, while Hamilton was third with 106. The University of Rochester (118) and Rensselaer (121) rounded out the championship's top-5 team finishes.

The state title win for Pavlus is the second of her collegiate career (2008) and is only the fourth St. Lawrence individual state champion. The Scarlet and Brown will be in action again next weekend, Saturday, October 30 at the 2010 Liberty League Championship, where St. Lawrence will look to win for the ninth straight season.