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

Stories & Highlights
2004 season 

Women Place 22nd at NCAA East Regionals (11/6/04)

Shelby Rance set a USP course record as the women's cross country team placed 22nd at the NCAA East Regional Championship at Indiana University of Pennsylvania earlier today.

Rance (So., Central Columbia HS/Bloomsburg, PA), the first Devils to finish, completed the 6,000-meter course in 25:12 (a 6:49 per mile pace) to establish a school course record. For Shelby it was her first and only 6K race of the season. (The Devils had only competed in one other during the regular season.) Rance finished 91st overall.

Joy Aifuwa (Fr., Edison HS/Edison, NJ) was next to finish for the Devils crossing the finish line in 26:49. Aifuwa was running strongly until a muscle cramp in the second mile hampered her efforts for the remainder of the race.

Two seniors were the next finishers for USP. Kate Jordan (Sr., Delaware Valley HS/Athol, NY) finished six second behind Aifuwa with a time of 26:55. Elizabeth Hay (Sr., Hempfield HS/Landisville, PA) was just nine seconds behind Jordan with a time of 27:04. Both runners closed out their collegiate careers in style as both times were personal bests.

Sarah Reeser (Jr., Dover Area HS/Thomasville, PA) rounded out the top five finishers for the Devils, crossing the finish line in 27:27. Amanda Reed (So., Haverford HS/Haverford, PA) was right behind her with a time of 27:35 and Jean Dugan (Fr., Methacton HS/Norristown, PA) completed the Devils squad competing in the event, finishing in 28:53.

"I am very proud of the effort all of our runners put in today and this season," said Head Coach Bob Heller. "Having our two seniors close out their careers with personal bests was the icing the cake. Liz (Hay) ran some of the best times of her career this season and Kate (Jordan), who only competed for us this year, made the transition from basketball to cross country without a hitch. Both are also fine examples of what a student-athlete truly is and their presence will be missed next season."

Today's race concluded one of the most successful season in women's cross country ever at USP. The Devils recorded top 10 finishes in all six regular season races, five of them top five finishes, and finished third at the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference championships, just three points out of second and their best conference finish ever.

Personal Bests help Propel Devils to Third Place at CACC Championships (10/23/04)

USP got personal best times from their top four runners as the women's cross country team recorded a third place finish, their best ever at the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference championships at Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Devils finished with 82 points, just three points behind runner up Nyack College (79) and 39 behind CACC champion Georgian Court University (39).

The Devils were paced by freshman sensation Joy Aifuwa (Fr., Edison HS/Edison, NJ). Aifuwa, used a strong kick in the final 1,000 meters to overtake Nyack's Sarah Bird and finish in second place overall with a time of 20:35.26, just 10.49 seconds behind the champion, Wendy Muckell of Nyack. Aifuwa's time, a personal best this season also earned her Newcomer of the Year honors as the top first-year runner finishing the event.

Shelby Rance (So., Central Columbia HS/Bloomsburg, PA) and Elizabeth Hay (Sr., Hempfield HS/Landisville, PA) narrowly missed out on All-Conference (Top 15 runners) honors finishing 16th and 17th respectively. Rance completed the 5,000-meter course in 22:21.38 while Hay was right behind her at 22:25.66. Both times were personal bests.

Also recording a personal best was Kate Jordan (Sr., Delaware Valley HS/Athol, NY). Jordan finished two places behind Hay in 19th with a time of 22:34.01. Rounding out the Devils finishers were Amanda Reed (So., Haverford HS/Haverford, PA) (28th place, 23:25.09); Jean Dugan (Fr., Methacton HS/Norristown, PA) (30th place, 23:40.47); and Sarah Reeser (Jr., Dover Area HS/Thomasville, PA) (32nd place, 24:30.45).

Georgian Court coach Kerwin Lanz earned Coach of the Year honors while the Team Sportsmanship Award went to Caldwell College. Both awards were voted on by the coaches.

Men's Harriers Finish Sixth at CACC Championships (10/23/04)

In one of the strongest fields ever at the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference cross country championships, the USP men's cross country team recorded a sixth place finish, with four of the Devils top five runners recording personal best times.

This year's field saw 17 runners finish the 8,000-meter Belmont Plateau course in under 30 minutes, with eventual champion Felician College having all seven of their runners run sub-30 on the afternoon. Felician won the title with 32 points while Nyack College was second with 57. Goldey Beacom College took third with 83 points and New Jersey Institute of Technology was fourth with 116. Holy Family University was fifth with 154 points, ten ahead of the Devils who finished with 164 points.

Nick Barger (Fr., Our Lady of Lourdes HS/Stormville, NY) paced the Devils with a personal best time of 30:56.41 finishing in 26th place. Joseph Holton (Jr., Archbishop Ryan HS/North Wildwood, NJ) was the next USP finisher, coming in in 30th place with a time of 31:19.43, also a personal best. Right behind Holton was Mitesh Patel (Fr., Point Pleasant Boro HS/Point Pleasant, NJ) with a personal best time of 31:23.22 (31st place).

Vladimir Mezhiritskiy (So., Northeast HS/Philadelphia, PA) and George Strock (So., Blue Mountain HS/Schuylkill Haven,PA) rounded out the Devils top five. Mezhiritskiy had a season best time of 32:36.98 (37th place) while Strock was 40th with a personal best time of 33:22.51. Ryan Pell (So., West York HS/York, PA) (41st place, 34:38.59) and Ivan Sergeyev (Jr., Hunter College HS/New Rochelle, NY) (43rd place, 35:18.68) completed the USP finishers on the afternoon.

Felician coach John Brennan earned Coach of the Year honors while the Team Sportsmanship Award went to Nyack College. Both awards were voted on by the coaches. The Newcomer of the Year award went to race champion Walter Tum of Bloomfield College who set a meet record with a time of 26:37.55.

Devils take Second at Cabrini Invitational (10/16/04)

In their final meet before the Central atlantic Collegiate conference (CACC) Championships, the USP women's cross country team turned in a solid performance, taking second place at the Cabrini Invitational at Belmont Plateau on Saturday.

The Devils scored 52 points, just nine behind meet champions Gwynedd Mercy College (43) and eleven points ahead of host Cabrini College (63).

Joy Aifuwa (Fr., Edison HS/Edison, NJ) paced the Devils finishing in fourth place with a time of 20:42.52 five seconds behind Kate Mehaffey of Gwynedd Mercy who out kicked her down the stretch. Also finishing in the top 10 overall and taking home an award was Shelby Rance (So., Central Columbia HS/Bloomsburg, PA). Rance bettered her personal best set last week, finishing the race in 10th place with a time of 22:28.36.

The Devils placed three more runners into the top 16 as Elizabeth Hay (Sr., Hempfield HS/Landisville, PA), Kate Jordan (Sr., Delaware Valley HS/Athol, NY) and Amanda Reed (So., Haverford HS/Haverford, PA) finished 12th, 14th and 16th respectively. Hay broke the 23-minute mark for the first time this season with a time of 22:48.41. Jordan completed the 5,000-meter course in 23:08.62 and Reed was just nine seconds behind her at 23:17.80.

Rounding out the Devils top seven were Sarah Reeser (Jr., Dover Area HS/Thomasville, PA) and Jean Dugan (Fr., Methacton HS/Norristown, PA). Reeser, coming of an injury, finished 24th overall with a time of 24:39.03 while Dugan was literally right behind her at 24:39.36.

Erin Hewitt (Fr., Iroquois HS/Elma, NY) and Melissa Maximowicz (Sr., Bishop O'Reilly HS/Kingston, PA) rounded out the Devils finishers. Hewitt finished in 35th place with as time of 26:41.30 while Maximowicz, in what was possibly her final collegiate race, was 36th with a time of 26:55.58

The CACC Championships are the next competition for the Devils. USP will be hosting the event at Belmont Plateau on Saturday, October 23, 2004. The races kick off at 12:45 p.m.

Strong Performances Lead to a Fourth Place Finish at Cabrini Invitational (10/16/04)

The time was right for the USP men's cross country team to turn in a solid performance. With just Saturday's Cabrini Invitational remaining before the CACC Championship meet, the Devils got season bests from five of their top six runners as the finished in fourth place, their best team finish this season.

USP scored 111 points, just 10 behind third place Holy Family University (101). Catholic University was the runaway winner, placing five runners in the top 10 to finish with 28 points. Gwynedd Mercy College was second with 92 points.

Joseph Holton (Jr., Archbishop Ryan HS/North Wildwood, NJ) ran a season best 31:33.72 to finish in 16th place and pace the Devils while Nick Barger (Fr., Our Lady of Lourdes HS/Stormville, NY) ran a personal best 31:58.05 to finish in 19th place. Mitesh Patel (Fr., Point Pleasant Boro HS/Point Pleasant, NJ) was 27th overall with a time of 32:32.87 and the third Devil to finish. Vladimir Mezhiritskiy (So., Northeast HS/Philadelphia, PA), shaking off the effects of a sore knee finished in 33rd place with a season-best 33:20.11. Ryan Pell (So., West York HS/York, PA) rounded out the Devils top five finishing in 35th place (33:45.21), also a season-best.

George Strock (So., Blue Mountain HS/Schuylkill Haven,PA) was right behind him with a personal best 33:47.57, good enough for 36th place. Ivan Sergeyev (Jr., Hunter College HS/New Rochelle, NY) was the Devils seventh finisher with a time of 35:00.90 (41st place). Jonathan Hanna (Jr., Old Bridge HS/Parlin, NJ) was right behind him with a time of 35:02.16 (42nd place). Rich DiGiacomo (Fr., St. John Neumann HS/ Philadelphia, PA) also ran a personal best with a time of 35:39.78 (45th place) as did Mike Rodriguez (Sr., Sayreville HS/South Amboy, NJ) (36:22.79). Rodriguez, in what was possibly his last collegiate race was 49th overall.

The CACC Championships are the next competition for the Devils. USP will be hosting the event at Belmont Plateau on Saturday, October 23, 2004. The races kick off at 12:45 p.m.

Another Fifth Place Finish for Devils as Rams Win at Goldey Beacom (10/9/04)

For the third consecutive week, the USP women's cross country team recorded a fifth place finish at the Invitational race in which they were participating. This week's race was the Goldey Beacom Invitational at Carousel Park in Wilmington, Delaware.

The Devils had a score of 135 points, finishing nine points behind fourth place Albright College (126) and ten behind Nyack College (125). The West Chester University Rams took four of the first seven places to win the event, with a score of 45 points. Georgian Court University was second with 83.

Leading the way for USP as she has in every race this season was Joy Aifuwa (Fr., Edison HS/Edison, NJ). Aifuwa finished in 11th place overall with a time of 21:15.95. Second across the line for the Devils with a new collegiate personal best time of 22:33.16 was Shelby Rance (So., Central Columbia HS/Bloomsburg, PA). Rance finished in 25th place overall.

Two places behind Rance in 27th place was Kate Jordan (Sr., Delaware Valley HS/Athol, NY). Jordan also recorded a personal-best time of 22:40.32. Elizabeth Hay (Sr., Hempfield HS/Landisville, PA) was the fourth Devil to finish, crossing the line in 34th place with a time of 23:15.86. Rounding out the Devils top five was Jean Dugan (Fr., Methacton HS/Norristown, PA). Dugan also recorded a personal best time of 23:37.84, finishing in 42nd place.

Finishing sixth for the Devils was Amanda Reed (So., Haverford HS/Haverford, PA). Finishing just two places behind Dugan in 44th place, Reed crossed the line in 23:40.69. Melissa Maximowicz (Sr., Bishop O'Reilly HS/Kingston, PA) rounded out the Devils finishers with a 72nd place finish and a time of 27:43.72.

Next up for the Devils will be the Cabrini Invitational on Saturday, October 16, 2004 at Belmont Plateau.

Devils Finish Eleventh at Goldey Beacom Invitational. (10/9/04)

The USP men's cross country team, competing at the Goldey Beacom Invitational, finished in 11th place as the West Chester University Rams completed a sweep, taking the men's title to go along with the women's title they won earlier.

The Devils had 283 points, nine behind 10th place Bloomfield College and 13 behind ninth place Cabrini College. West Chester finished with 52 points to capture the title while Nyack College was second with 68 and Albright College, third with 71.

Nick Barger (Fr., Our Lady of Lourdes HS/Stormville, NY) returned to action for the Devils after spraining his ankle at the Philadelphia Metro to be the first USP runner to cross the finish line. Barger finished in 48th place with a time of 32:28.15. Joseph Holton (Jr., Archbishop Ryan HS/North Wildwood, NJ) was the next Devils finisher, crossing the line in 52nd place with a time of 32:44.41. Vladimir Mezhiritskiy (So., Northeast HS/Philadelphia, PA) followed with a time of 33:58.48 (60th place).

Rounding out the Devils top five were Mitesh Patel (Fr., Point Pleasant Boro HS/Point Pleasant, NJ) and Ryan Pell (So., West York HS/York, PA). Patel and Pell finished 62nd and 63rd respectively with times of 34:57.78 and 35:18.28.

George Strock (So., Blue Mountain HS/Schuylkill Haven,PA) was the sixth Devil to cross the line, finishing in 68th place with a time of 36:00.88. Strock was followed by Mike Rodriguez (Sr., Sayreville HS/South Amboy, NJ) in 74th place (37:09.85). Rich DiGiacomo (Fr., St. John Neumann HS/ Philadelphia, PA) was two places behind Rodriguez in 76th place with a time of 37:32.87 while Jonathan Hanna (Jr., Old Bridge HS/Parlin, NJ) was 80th with a time of 39:21.53

Next up for the Devils will be the Cabrini Invitational on Saturday, October 16, 2004 at Belmont Plateau.

Times Fall as Devils Record Another Fifth Place Finish at Belmont (10/2/04)

Another week, another fifth place finish for the USP women's cross country team on Saturday. Competing at the tenth annual Belmont Classic at Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia, six USP runners, including the Devils' top five saw their times improve from last week as the Devils finished in fifth place.

USP scored 139 points, just 16 points out of third place, finishing behind Georgian Court College (86); Albright College (115); Marywood University (124) and Gwynedd Mercy College (137).

Joy Aifuwa (Fr., Edison HS/Edison, NJ) again paced the Devils finishing in fifth place overall with a time of 20:42.14 for the 5,000-meter race, taking 14 seconds off her time from last week. Shelby Rance (So., Central Columbia HS/Bloomsburg, PA) improved her time by 22 seconds and was the second Devil to finish, crossing the line in 22:44.07 in 28th place. Just 1.43 seconds behind Rance was Kate Jordan (Sr., Delaware Valley HS/Athol, NY)in 29th place (22:45.50). Jordan's time was 17 seconds faster than last week.

Rounding out the Devils top five were Elizabeth Hay (Sr., Hempfield HS/Landisville, PA) and Amanda Reed (So., Haverford HS/Haverford, PA). Hay improved her time from last week by 18 seconds to finish in 35th place overall with a time of 23:04.73. Reed cut 54 seconds off her time from last week to finish in 56th place with a time of 23:59.87.

Also competing and finishing for the Devils were Jean Dugan (Fr., Methacton HS/Norristown, PA) (24:43.26, 69th place); Erin Hewitt (Fr., Iroquois HS/Elma, NY) (26:30.09, 90th place) and Melissa Maximowicz (Sr., Bishop O'Reilly HS/Kingston, PA) (26:46.29, 92nd place). Maximowicz improved her time by 37 seconds from last week.

Next up for the Devils will be the Goldey Beacom Classic at Carousel Park in Wilmington Delaware on Saturday, October 9, 2004.

Men's Harriers Finish Ninth at Belmont Classic (10/2/04)

The USP men's cross country team turned in another top ten finish on Saturday, taking ninth place at the tenth annual Belmont Classic at Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia.

The Devils scored 262 points, 16 points behind eighth place Lycoming College (246) and 47 points behind seventh place Holy Family University (215). Goldey Beacom College was the top CACC school competing, finishing sixth with 142 points.

Mitesh Patel (Fr., Point Pleasant Boro HS/Point Pleasant, NJ) was the first Devils to cross the line, completing the 8,000-meter course in 32:26.96 in 51st place overall. Right behind Patel was Joseph Holton (Jr., Archbishop Ryan HS/North Wildwood, NJ) in 52nd place with a time of 32:30.47. Vladimir Mezhiritskiy (So., Northeast HS/Philadelphia, PA) was next to finish for USP, completing the course in 33:31.28 (60th place).

Rounding out the Devils top five were Ryan Pell (So., West York HS/York, PA) and George Strock (So., Blue Mountain HS/Schuylkill Haven,PA). Pell was 67th overall with a time of 34:43.67 and Strock was 70th with a time of 34:55.37. Rich DiGiacomo (Fr., St. John Neumann HS/Philadelphia, PA) was next to finish for USP, coming in 76th place with a personal-best time of 35:41.78. Ivan Sergeyev (Jr., Hunter College HS/New Rochelle, NY) finished three places behind DiGiacomo with a time of 35:57.60

Other finishers for the Devils included Jonathan Hanna (Jr., Old Bridge HS/Parlin, NJ) (36:15.06- 83rd place); Mike Rodriguez (Sr., Sayreville HS/South Amboy, NJ) (36:46.10- 89th place); Roberto Franco (Jr., Abraham Lincoln HS (Lima, Peru)/Smithtown, NY) (37:29.65-93rd place); and Adam Wenocur (Sr., Lower Merion HS/Wynnewood, PA) (40:49.31- 105th place). Personal bests were also recorded by Hanna, Rodriguez and Franco.

Next up for the Devils will be the Goldey Beacom Classic at Carousel Park in Wilmington Delaware on Saturday, October 9, 2004.

Women Harriers Take Fifth Place; Men Ninth at Philly Metro (9/25/04)

The USP men’s and women’s cross country teams recorded a pair of top 10 finishes at Saturday’s Philadelphia Metro Cross Country Invitational at Belmont Plateau as the women took fifth place and the men took ninth.

The USP women finished with 178 points behind defending champion Haverford College (60), DeSales University (64), West Chester University (106) and defending CACC champion Georgian Court College (163). The Devils fifth place finish was their best in this event since the 1998 season. (5th place)

Leading the way for the Devils was Joy Aifuwa (Fr., Edison HS/Edison, NJ). Aifuwa completed the 5,000-meter course in 20:56.14. Kate Jordan (Sr., Delaware Valley HS/Athol, NY) was the second Devil to cross the line, finishing 45th overall with a time of 23:02.96. Right behind Jordan was Shelby Rance (So., Central Columbia HS/Bloomsburg, PA) in 46th place (23:06.70). Elizabeth Hay (Sr., Hempfield HS/Landisville, PA) finished 50th with a time of 23:22.29 and Sarah Reeser (Jr., Dover Area HS/Thomasville, PA) rounded out the USP top five with a 54th place finish and a time of 23:42.95.

On the men’s side the Devils scored 273 points to place ninth. Richard Stockton College defended their title with 44 points. Felician College was second with 54 points and DeSales was third with 74 points. USP’s ninth place finish was their best at the Metro since the 2000 season. (8th place)

Crossing first for the men was Joseph Holton (Jr., Archbishop Ryan HS (Pa)/North Wildwood, NJ) in 61st place overall with a time of 32:51.24. Vladimir Mezhiritskiy (So., Northeast HS/Philadelphia, PA) was the second USP finisher, completing the 8,000-meter course in 33:47.10 (66th place). Ryan Pell (So., West York HS/York, PA) finished 73rd with a time of 34:55.10 and Ivan Sergeyev (Jr., Hunter College HS/New Rochelle, NY) was 81st with a time of 36:54.54. Jonathan Hanna (Jr., Old Bridge HS/Parlin, NJ) rounded out the Devils top five with a time of 36:59.34. (83rd place).

The Devils return to Belmont Plateau next week to compete in the 10th annual Belmont Classic on Saturday, October 2, 2004.

Aifuwa Wins in Collegiate Debut as Delaware Valley College (9/5/04)

Making her collegiate debut in Saturday's Delaware Valley College Invitational, University of the Sciences freshman Joy Aifuwa (Edison HS/Edison, NJ) made an immediate impact, becoming the first women's runner under Head Coach Bob Heller to win their first collegiate race.

Aifuwa completed the 6,000 meter course in 25:44.1, setting a course record in the process. Her first place finish helped propel the Devils to a third place finish behind Susquehanna University and Franklin and Marshall College.

Next to cross the line for the Devils was another runner making their collegiate cross country debut, junior Sarah Reeser (Dover Area HS/Thomasville, PA). Reeser finished 19th overall with a time of 28:13.1.

A pair of veterans followed the two newcomers. Senior co-captain Elizabeth Hay (Hempfield HS/Landisville,PA) was 24th overall with a time of 28:29.0 and sophomore Amanda Reed (Haverford HS/Haverford, PA) was 29th overall, just nine seconds behind Hay with a time of 28:38.0. Senior co-captain Ashley Hasulak (Wolcott/Wolcott, CT) rounded out the Devils top five, completing a gutsy performance finishing 41st overall with a time of 30:31.4.

A third newcomer, Jean Dugan (Methacton HS/Norristown, PA) was the sixth USP runner to finish, completing the course in 31:34.4 (50th place). Senior Melissa Maximowicz (Bishop O'Reilly HS/Kingston, PA) rounded out the Devils' finishers with a time of 33:11.4 (66th place).

Men Place Ninth at Delaware Valley College Invitational (9/5/04)

The USP men's cross country team opened their season on Saturday with a ninth place finish at the Delaware Valley College Invitational.

Leading the way for the Devils was Joseph Holton (Archbishop Ryan HS/North Wildwood, NJ). Holton finished the 8,000 meter course in 32:27.4 in 34th place overall. Ryan Pell (West York HS/York, PA) was the next Devil to cross the finish line, finishing 48th overall with a time of 34:42.0.

Rounding out the Devils top five were Vladimir Mezhiritskiy (Northeast HS/Philadelphia, PA), George Strock (Blue Mountain HS/Pottsville, PA) and Ivan Sergeyev (Hunter College HS/New Rochelle, NY). Mezhiritskiy was 57th overall with a time of 35:50.5. Strock was 65th with a time of 37:10.3 and Sergeyev was 67th with a time of 37:23.9

Jonathan Hanna (Old Bridge HS/Parlin, NJ) and Mike Rodriguez (Sayreville Area HS/South Amboy, NJ) were sixth and seventh respectively for the Devils with times of 39:57.7 and 40:33.9.

Athletics Home Page          NCAA            CACC