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Oneda Victory Leads Hopkins to Runner-Up Finish at Salty Dog Invitational
Sept. 15, 2012
ANNAPOLIS, MD -- Freshman Hannah Oneda pulled away from two Navy runners to win the Salty Dog Invitational and lead the Johns Hopkins women's cross country team to a second place finish in Annapolis, MD Saturday morning. Oneda separated herself from Navy's top two runners in the final mile to win by two seconds in 21:50 (6k). The victory marks Oneda's second title in two races to open her young collegiate career. Oneda, Holly Clarke and Lara Shegoski recorded top-10 finishes as the Blue Jays totaled 41 points in defeating Division I programs Maryland, Loyola (MD), George Washington and UMBC. Navy placed four women in the top-10 to win the team title with 29 points. The lead Hopkins runners made their mark on the race early as the trio of Oneda, Clarke and Shegoski ran stride-for-stride with Navy's top three runners. "[Oneda, Clarke and Shegoski] really set the tone for the race and sent a message to Navy that we were there to compete," said Hopkins head coach Bobby Van Allen. Navy's Annie-Norah Beveridge and Brigid Byrne attempted to break free from the lead group in the second mile, but Oneda comfortably followed suit while Clarke and Shegoski held onto fourth and fifth place, respectively. Oneda made her move in the final mile to gain separation from the Navy duo, and powered down the homestretch to beat Beveridge by two seconds. Clarke finished three seconds behind Byrne for fourth place in 22:10 and Shegoski turned in a tough final mile to finish eighth in 22:57. Key to the Blue Jays team success was senior Annie Monagle, who ran a strategically sound race to finish 12th with a personal record time of 23:05. The 800-meter outdoor track national qualifier used her speed down the final stretch to surpass Maryland and Loyola's number two runners.
Ashley Murphy finished fifth for Hopkins in 23:23, while Lindsey Sanborn, Sophia Meehan and Courtney Kelly all had strong races. "I'm extremely proud of this team from top to bottom," Van Allen said. "Everybody brings the right attitude with them and that is truly the strength of our program right now." Hopkins next runs at the Paul Short Invitational in two weeks when it takes on several of the top-ranked Division I programs in the country including Georgetown, Villanova and Tennessee. -30- |
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