University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
   Men's and Women's Cross Country  

Stories & Highlights
2001 season 

HELLER NAMED CACC CO-COACH OF THE YEAR;  
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY WINS CACC SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD (11/21/01)

    USP Women's Cross Country Coach Bob Heller was named CACC Co-coach of the Year along with Georgian Court's Kerwin Lanz in a vote of his peers announced yesterday.

    Heller guided his front runner, Chrissy Woodruff to a second consecutive CACC individual conference championship.   Woodruff later ran a personal best time of 19:20 at the NAIA National Championships, finishing in 54th place (best ever finish at USP).

    Heller was also the host and coordinator of the CACC championships and the simultaneous NAIA Region X Championships.  For the past two seasons, Heller has served as the CACC Sports Chair for Men's and Women's Cross Country.

    This season, the USP women's cross country team recorded top 10 finishes in every meet they participated in, including a second place finish at the Wilmington College Invitational and a dual meet win against Holy Family.  USP's top runner, Woodruff, recorded two third place, one second place and three first place finishes in six regular season meets.

     In four seasons as the USP women's cross country coach, Heller's women's teams have recorded top 10 finishes in 18 of 29 invitational meets run as well as a perfect 2-0 in dual meets.

     Also announced yesterday was the CACC Team Sportsmanship Awards for men's and women's cross country.   This year the USP women's cross country team shared this honor with Holy Family College.  The CACC Sportsmanship Award is given to the team in each sponsored conference sport that best exemplifies the spirit of athletic competition and sportsmanship.

WOODRUFF RECORDS BEST USP FINISH EVER AT   
NAIA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (11/20/01)

    Competing in the NAIA National Championships for the second time, Chrissy Woodruff (Jr., Physical Therapy, Philadelphia, PA) ran a personal best 19:20 to place 54th overall out of 238 finishers.

     Chrissy's 54th place is the best ever recorded by a USP cross country runner at the National Championships, topping her own best of 68th place set last year. Woodruff, who finished second at the Region 10 Championship held two weeks ago, beat region champion Kate McGuire (Maine-Farmington) by 17 seconds. 

     The field in last Saturday's 2001 National Championships held on the Wayne Dannehl National Cross Country Course on the campus of University of Wisconsin-Parkside was much stronger than last year's competition, with 23 of 25 top NAIA schools in the country competing.  The winning time this year was 17:10, over 50 seconds faster than in 2000 and just 11 seconds off the meet record of 16:59 set in 1987. 

     Woodruff's time, 19:20 is also the fastest recorded time on any course for a women's cross country runner for 5,000 meters in school history.  "Chrissy wanted to peak for this meet,"  said head coach Bob Heller.  "She did a lot of hard training in between the Regionals and Saturday's race and it showed in her performance."

     Chrissy's performance culminates one of the most successful seasons ever by a USP women's cross country runner.  In six regular season meets Woodruff recorded two third-pace finishes, one second and three first place finishes.  Chrissy also took second place at the Region 10 Championships held at Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia.

WOODRUFF SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDS CACC CHAMPIONSHIP;  
QUALIFIES FOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (11/04/01)

    

Defending Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) women's cross country champion Chrissy Woodruff (Jr., Physical T herapy, Philadelphia, PA) from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia successfully defended her title at the conference meet held at Belmont Plateau in conjunction with the NAIA Region X Championship yesterday.

     The junior Woodruff led all CACC runners throughout the entire race and all runners for the first 1.75 miles. Chrissy was overtaken in the race on the back part of Belmont after climbing "Parachute Hill" by Kate McGuire of the University of Maine at Farmington. McGuire eventually won the Regional Championship with a time of 19:23.64. Woodruff was right behind her with a CACC Championship Meet record of 19:30.01

     Woodruff's win earned her the conference Most Valuable Player honor for the second consecutive year as well as a spot on the CACC All-Conference Team. In addition, Chrissy's second place finish in the region championship earned her an at-large entry into the NAIA National Women's Cross Country Championships to be held at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI on November 17, 2001.

     "Chrissy ran one of her stronger races this year," said USP head coach Bob Heller. "She has been building towards this race with the hope to peak at Nationals in two weeks. She should improve upon her time and finish at last year's national championship."

     Next to cross the finish line for the Devils was Liz Hay (Fr., PharmD., Landisville, PA) with a time of 23:29.16.  Hay's time was good enough for 28th place overall (13th in the CACC).  Right behind her was Ashley Hasulak (Fr., PharmD., Wolcott, CT) with a time of 23:48.87 (32nd place overall, 15th in the CACC).   Both Hay's and Hasulak's times were personal bests at Belmont Plateau this year.

    Melissa Maximowicz (Fr., open major, Kingston, PA) also recorded a personal best for the Belmont course, finishing in a time of 24:35.67 (38th overall , 19th in the CACC).  Jakara Woods (So, Physical Therapy, Staten Island, NY) was the next Devil to finish, crossing the line in 50th place overall (24th in the CACC) with a time of 26:55.35 also a personal best.  Jentry Andrews (So., Physician Assistant, Oakland, NJ) followed in 60th place overall (32nd in the CACC) with a time of 30:01.05

     On the men's side, Erik Soderblom (Sr., Microbiology, Pine Bush, NY) ran a 30:19.65 for the five mile course to place tenth overall in the CACC behind CACC Champion Travis Graham of Felician College (28:34.80) - earning him a spot on the All-Conference Team. Overall Soderblom placed 31st in the region.

      Next to finish for the Devils was Marc Andreotto (So., Environmental Science , Brookfield, CT).  Andreotto finished in 43rd place overall (19th in CACC) with a time of 31:35.28.  Chris Kotowski (Fr., PharmD., Williamsville, NY) followed with a time of 34:21.16 (58th overall, 28th CACC).  Kotowski's time was a personal best on the year. 

     Adam Wenocur (Fr., Bioinformatics, Wynnewood, PA) was next to finish, ending his race with a time of 37:02, also a personal best.   Adam Kotowski (Sr., Pharm/Tox, Williamsville, NY) followed him with a time of 37:31.53, good enough for 66th place overall (35th in CACC).   Rounding out the Devils finishers were Jason Harrington (Jr., Pharm. Chemistry, Herndon, VA), Brian Burke (Sr., Biology, Cape May, NJ) and Mike Rodriguez (Fr., Environmental Science, South Amboy, NJ).  Harrington was 71st overall with a time of 38:35.30 while Burke was right behind him in 75th place (39:09.19).   Rodriguez was bothered by a sore knee and finished with a time of 41:02.44 for 77th place.

     "I am extremely pleased with everyone's performance today," adds coach Heller.  This was the last race for my seniors and Erik, Adam and Brian gave it everything they had. We showed much improvement from the beginning of the season and hope our underclassmen can carry this improvement into next year."

     Team-wise the USP women placed 7th in the region with 140 points. Maine-Farmington won the Region Championship with 71 points. The USP women were fourth in the CACC with 68 points behind defending champion Georgian Court College (49 points). The USP men were fifth in the CACC with 130 points behind defending champion Felician College (24 points). In the region, the USP men finished ninth with 248 points behind Lyndon State College (VT) (19 points). 

DEVILS DEFEAT HOLY FAMILY IN LAST
REGULAR SEASON MEET (10/21/01)

      The USP cross country team finished their regular season in style yesterday, as both the men's and women's team earned dual meet victories against Holy Family College in a meet held at Belmont Plateau.

      USP won the women's race 21-36 and the men's race 23-32.

      The Devils earned top honors as the first male and female runners to cross the finish line came from USP.   Chrissy Woodruff (Jr., Physical Therapy, Philadelphia, PA) was the top women's finisher with a time of 20:07.55.  Erik Soderblom (Sr., Microbiology, Pine Bush, NY) was the top men's finisher with a time of 31:15.05.

      Right with Soderblom at the finish was Marc Andreotto (So., Environmental Science, Brookfield, CT) finishing in a virtual dead heat with Soderblom (31:15.10).  USP's Chris Kotowski (Fr., PharmD., Williamsville, NY) rounded out a sweep of the top three positions, finishing with a time of 34:55.99.  Jason Harrington (Jr., Pharm. Chemistry, Herndon, VA) took 8th place with a time of 39:12.78, breaking the 40-minute barrier for the first time this season.

      On the women's side, Elizabeth Hay (Fr., PharmD., Landisville, PA) crossed the line in 3rd place for USP with a time of 24:02.16.  Right behind her was Ashley Hasulak (Fr., PharmD., Wolcott, CT) with a time of 24:08.05.  Rounding out the Devils top four finishers was Melissa Maximowicz (Fr., open major, Kingston, PA).  Maximowicz completed the 5,000 meter course in 27:12.48

     Up next for the Devils is the Region Ten Championships in two weeks (November 3rd.)  The Regionals will be hosted by the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) and will be held at Belmont Plateau.

WOODRUFF SETS ANOTHER COURSE RECORD WHILE 
WINNING WILMINGTON CHALLENGE (10/14/01)

      University of the Sciences women's cross country runner Chrissy Woodruff (Jr.,Physical Therapy, Philadelphia, PA) continued to build towards another trip to the National Championships with a first place win at yesterday's Wilmington Challenge, held at Valley Garden Park in Wilmington, Delaware.

      Chrissy led the entire race, covering the 5000 meter course in 21:53, a new course record.  For Woodruff, it was her second victory in five meets this year, to go along with a second place finish (Metro Championships), and two third place finishes(Abington and Muhlenberg).  Her other win was two weeks ago at the Belmont Classic.

      The Devils three other runners also turned in strong performances on the very challenging Valley Gardens course. Elizabeth Hay (Fr., PharmD, Landisville, PA) was the second Devil to cross the line, finishing in fifth place with a time of 25:15.  Right on her heels was Ashley Hasulak (Fr., PharmD, Wolcott, CT), finishing sixth with a time of 25:56.  Melissa Maximowicz (Fr., open major, Kingston, PA) finished ninth, crossing the finish line with a time of 29:39.  Jakara Woods (So., Physical Therapy, Staten Island, NY) was 11th with a time of 31:29 and Jentry Andrews (So, Physician Assistant, Oakland, NJ)) was 12th with a time of 31:36.  On the team side, the Devils finished in second place with 32 points.  Wesley College won the team title with 24 points.

      On the men's side Chris Kotowski (Fr., PharmD., Williamsville, NY) was the first Devil to cross the finish line finishing with a time of 40:56. Chris' brother Adam (Sr., Pharm/Tox, Williamsville, NY) followed with a time of 42:23. Mike Rodriguez (Fr., Environmental Science, South Amboy, NJ) was right behind him with a time of 42:53.  Rounding out the Devils' finishers were Jason Harrington (Jr., Pharm. Chemistry, Herndon, VA) and Brian Burke (Sr., Biology, Cape May, NJ) finishing with times of 43:17 and 47:34 respectively. 

      The men's team finished second to champion Wilmington College, scoring 49 points to Wilmington's 34.

      In a meet the previous week, the USP men's cross country Team took fourth place at the PBU Invitational, held on the campus of Philadelphia Biblical University.  Marc Andreotto (So., Environmental Science, Brookfield, CT) was the Devils' top finisher with a time of 31:39, good enough for fifth place.  Chris Kotowski was 14th (34:50).  Adam Kotowski was 22nd (38:10).  Rodriguez was 24th (40:19) in his college debut, while Harrington and Burke finished 27th and 28th respectively with times of 41:06 and 41:21.  Top runner Erik Soderblom (Sr., Microbiology, Pine Bush, NY) injured his back midway through the race and did not finish. 

     There were no individual results for the women's race as many runners took a wrong turn midway through the race running nearly an extra mile in the process.

WOODRUFF SHATTERS MEET RECORD AT BELMONT CLASSIC(10/6/01)

      University of the Sciences women's cross country runner Chrissy Woodruff (Jr.,Physical Therapy, Philadelphia, PA) ran the best race of her college career in yesterday's Belmont Classic at Belmont Plateau, shattering the course record by 14 seconds with a time of 19:28 for the 5,000 meter course.

      Woodruff's time broke Lauren Dean's (Cabrini College) mark of 19:42 set in last year's race. Woodruff's winning time also took 23 seconds of the USP course record for Belmont Plateau set back in 1988 by Melissa Maurer.

      Chrissy led from the opening gun, taking the first mile in 5:30 and maintaining the advantage throughout. Woodruff emerged from the woods holding a 45-second lead over her nearest competitor, increasing the margin to 1:15 by race end, out-distancing the competition by over 300 meters.

      "Chrissy turned in the best performance I have seen by any runner in four years at Belmont," said USP Head Coach Bob Heller. "I told her before the race that she would break the 20-minute mark today and she didn't let me down."

      The Devils three other runners also turned in strong performances on the afternoon, lowering their times from the previous week.   Elizabeth Hay (Fr., PharmD, Landisville, PA) was the second Devil to cross the line, finishing in 23:28.  Right on her heels was Ashley Hasulak (Fr., PharmD, Wolcott, CT) with a time of 23:53.  Melissa Maximowicz (Fr., open major, Kingston, PA) finished shortly thereafter with a time of 25:24.

      On the men's side Erik Soderblom (Sr.,Microbiology, Pine Bush, NY) ran strong over the final 1,200 meters to finish in 10th place for the Devils with a time of 29:45.  Marc Andreotto (So., Environmental Science, Brookfield, CT) was right behind him with a time of 30:30.  Next to cross the finish line for the Devils was Chris Kotowski (Fr., PharmD., Williamsville, NY).   Chriss finished with a time of 34:26.  Chris' brother Adam (Sr., Pharm/Tox, Williamsville, NY) followed with a time of 36:11.  Rounding out the Devils' finishers were Brian Burke (Sr., Biology, Cape May, NJ) and Jason Harrington (Jr., Pharm. Chemistry, Herndon, VA), finishing with times of 41:23 and 42:49 respectively.

      The men's team finished in sixth place with 196 points.  With only four runners, the women's team did not score.

CROSS COUNTRY HAS TOUGH COMPETITION AT PHILADELPHIA METRO CHAMPIONSHIPS (9/23/01)

    Chrissy Woodruff (Jr., Physical Therapy, Philadelphia, PA) took second place overall as the USP women's cross country team took seventh place amongst a tough field of competitors in yesterday's Philadelphia Metro Championships at Belmont Plateau.

     Woodruff returned to the course where she won her CACC title, turning in a strong performance for this point of the season, completing the 5,000 meter course in 20:10.08 to finish second behind Kate Dougherty of Ursinus College. 

     Elizabeth Hay (Fr., PharmD., Landisville, PA) returned to action after suffering a mild concussion from an automobile accident two weeks ago, turning in a solid time of 24:00.72 for 45th place overall. Teammate Ashley Hasulak (Fr., PharmD., Wolcott, CT) was 49th overall with a time of 24:18.18.  Melissa Maximowicz (Fr., open major, Kingston, PA), in her first collegiate race was 66th overall with a time of 26:34.12.  Rounding out the Devils contingent were Jakara Woods (So, Physical Therapy, Staten Island, NY) and Jentry Andrews (So., Physician Assistant, Oakland, NJ).  Woods finished 90th overall with a time of 29:30.71 and Andrews was right behind her in 92nd place with a time of 29:36.48.

     USP scored 183 points to place seventh amongst the 17 schools competing in the meet.  Bryn Mawr College captured the team title with 66 points while Rowan University and Ursinus College were second and third respectively with 73 and 77 points.

     On the men's side, Erik Soderblom (Sr., Microbiology, Pine Bush, NY) finished 16th overall as the men's team placed 11th.  Soderblom completed the 5-mile course in 30:19.87.  Marc Andreotto (So., Environmental Science, Brookfield, CT) was the second Devil to cross the line, finishing in 35th place with a time of 32:00.88.  Chris Kotowski (Fr., PharmD., Williamsville, NY) was the third USP scorer, finishing in 77th place overall with a time of 36:15.57.  Adam Kotowski (Sr., Pharm/Tox, Williamsville, NY) followed in 91st place with a time of 37:31.59. Rounding out the Devils' finishers were Jason Harrington (Jr., Pharm. Chemistry, Herndon, VA) and Brian Burke (Sr., Biology, Cape May, NJ).   Harrington was 115th overall with a time of 45:14.77.  Burke was right behind him in 116th place with a time of 45:30.32.

     USP scored 293 points to place 11th amongst the 19 schools competing in the meet.  Rowan University ran away with the team title, scoring just 24 points.  Richard Stockton was second with 56 points and Lincoln University was third with 110 points.     

CROSS COUNTRY COMPETES AT MULE INVITATIONAL(9/16/01)

    Chrissy Woodruff (Jr., Physical Therapy, Philadelphia, PA) took third place overall and the USP men finished in fifth place at yesterday's Mule Invitational hosted by Muhlenberg College and held on the campus of Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA.

     Woodruff led a trio of women who participated in yesterday's meet, as the Devils found themselves short of runners.   Woodruff held fifth place for most of the race but made her move in the final mile, passing Moravian college's top two runners to move into third place which she held onto, finishing with a time of 20:36.7, just 1.9 seconds behind second place and 8.7 seconds behind the winner. 

     Teammates Ashley Hasulak (Fr., PharmD., Wolcott, CT) and Jentry Andrews (So., Physician Assistant, Oakland, NJ) also turned in good performances on the day.  Hasulak finished in 51st place overall with a time of 23:32.0 while Andrews was 96th with a time of 28:09.2.

     On the men's side, all five Devil runners finished leading the Devils to a fifth place finish with 131 points.   Leading the way was Erik Soderblom (Sr., Microbiology, Pine Bush, NY).   Soderblom finished 24th overall with a time of 30:12.0.  Right behind him was Marc Andreotto (So., Environmental Science, Brookfield, CT) in 31st place with a time of 31:30.4.  Chris Kotowski (Fr., PharmD., Williamsville, NY) was the next Devil to cross the line, finishing with a time of 33:17.3 in 46th place overall.  Adam Kotowski (sr., Pharm/Tox, Williamsville, NY) followed in 56th place with a time of 35:50.4 and the Devils third senior runner, Brian Burke (Sr., Biology, Cape May, NJ) was 61st overall with a time of 38:34.6.

      Recapping last week's opening meet, the USP men placed 6th and the women placed 5th as the Devils competed in the Arcadia Invitational.  On the men's side, Soderblom and Andreotto earned medals for the Devils finishing in 8th and 13th place respectively.  On the women's side Woodruff finished third overall with a time of 19:17.  Elizabeth Hay (Fr., PharmD., Landisville, PA) finished 17th overall in her first ever cross country race with a time of 20:39, with Hasulak right behind her in 23rd place with a 21:07 time.

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