Wheeler rules Beantown
Friars harrier rolls to 5K win
Providence College junior Abbey Wheeler claimed the individual title in the women’s 5K race while the guys from Syracuse grabbed the crown in the men’s 8K event to highlight the sixth annual Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown cross country meet yesterday at Franklin Park.
Wheeler, a 19-year-old native of Elmira, N.Y., went right to the front and hit the opening mile in 5:15 as University of Virginia freshman Abigail Green (third, 17:17) led the chase back. Wheeler had a 16-second gap after passing 2 miles in 11:08. Wheeler maintained that margin to the Playstead finish as Green and University of Minnesota twins Bethany Hasz (second, 17:17) and Megan Hasz (fifth, 17:21) made futile bids to cut the deficit.
Wheeler, who placed sixth in this race last year while battling an iron deficiency problem, was in full control as she hit the tape in a winning 17:10, eight seconds faster that last year.
“We opened up at UNH but we couldn’t really get a good indication because there were only two teams in the race. This was a good test. I definitely wanted to get some space in the first mile and so I was trying to push the pace,” said Wheeler, who is majoring in applied physics.
“We graduated so many great girls like Catarina Rocha (of Peabody), my training partner, and they taught me so much about training and being disciplined. And Ray (Treacy) is such a good coach, it’s all a natural progression. This sets up well for the Wisconsin Invitational (on Sept. 28).”
Treacy, who is in his 34th season at the Friars helm, was pleased.
“I expected her to run well. She had a big breakthrough last spring in the 5K (15:57.18 at Raleigh Relays). She’ll be a 5K runner eventually. Sometimes you have to come to meets like this in order to learn how to win,” Treacy said.
Dartmouth’s women, ranked 24th, were tops among New England entries in the 24-team 5K race that went to the University of Mississippi with 102 points. The Big Green had 168.
“Very solid effort,” said longtime Dartmouth coach Barry Harwick. “All things considered, pretty satisfied.”
The men’s 8K event saw University of Washington sophomore Taylon Hall (12th, 24:24) toe the field through an opening mile of 4:44. The pack swallowed him up by 2 miles reached in 9:50, before the Campbell University tandem of sophomore Amon Kemboi (first, 24:03) and senior Lawrence Kipkoech (third, 24:05) began to assert their influence.
But the Fighting Camels couldn’t shake a strong group of Orange runners, who remained close.
Syracuse, ranked No. 10, ultimately put five runners in the top 13, led by junior Aidan Tooker (second, 24:03) and sophomore Noah Affolder (fifth, 24:11), to win with 37 points. Washington, coached by Oliver Ames legend Andy Powell, finished second with 70 points in the 23team field.
Syracuse is bidding to capture the NCAA title it last won in 2015.
“We were just trying to stay attached to the guys up front and I thought we were awesome. We really showed up today,” said Tooker, a 20-year-old communications major from Saratoga Springs, N.Y. “We don’t want to take a year off.”
Said Affolder, 19, a sophomore from Washington: “It gives us a little confidence. I think we’ll be ready.”