University of New Hampshire Athletics
Quite a Year It's Been for Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field
5/23/2016 9:16:00 AM | Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field
DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire women's cross country and track & field teams had a stellar season, with much more to come with NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Preliminaries right around the corner.
The cross country team began the season with a third consecutive America East Championship led by senior Laura Rose Donegan (Melbourne, Australia) who finished second overall and was named the America East Elite 18 Award winner with the highest grade point average at the championships. The Wildcats claimed three of the top-7 times for the 3-peat.
Donegan went on to compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships where she finished 30th overall out of 254 of the country's top runners for All-American status, the second of her Wildcat career. Donegan also was named the Elite 90 award winner for the highest grade point average of any student-athlete running at the NCAA Championships, with a 4.0 GPA in political science. Each of the 90 sponsored sports by the NCAA has one Elite 90 recipient with the highest GPA at the NCAA Championship of that particular sport. She became the second UNH athlete to ever receive the honor. The team as a whole was recognized by the NCAA as having a multi-year Academic Progress Rate score in the top-10 percent of their respective sport.
The indoor season kicked off with sophomore Elinor Purrier (Montgomery, Vt.) recording the school record in the 1,000-meter race (2:46.02) at home against the College of the Holy Cross. Shortly after she marked the top mile time (4:29.71) in the nation – eighth fastest ever recorded- at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational. She wasn't done there, running the anchor leg in the America East champion distance medley relay team with a time of 11:28.56 for another school record to go along with the mile and 1,000-meter records. Donegan continued her strong season with school records in the 3,000-meter run (9:26.72) and the 5,000-meter event (16:16.12). Sophomore Danielle Gajewski (Danville, N.H.) also set the record in the 500-meter run (1:14.17) to round of the program records.
UNH finished second at the AE Indoor Championships, the best overall ranking since 2008, with championships from Gajewski (800m), Purrier (mile), Donegan (5K) and both 4x800-meter and distance medley relay teams. The distance groups pushed the scoring with first, second and sixth place finishes in the 5K and first, second, and sixth place in the mile. Purrier went on to compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships and placed third overall in the mile (4:38.42) for All-American status and the best finish of any UNH athlete at NCAAs. She was also named Northeast Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The team again was recognized by the NCAA for their top-10 Academic Progress rating.
Outdoor track had much of the same success with school records set by Purrier (800m – 2:06.63, 3K steeple – 9:47.16), Wernig (Discus – 148' 1") and the sprint medley (3:56.75) and 4x1,500-meter (18:34.27) relay teams. UNH placed second at the America East Outdoor Championships with titles by Purrier (800m, 1,500m), senior Amber Short (Keene, N.H.) (10K), Donegan (3K steeple), Wernig (Discus) and the 4x800-meter relay team. Purrier also qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 3K steeplechase with the school-record time in the event, set for July.
Purrier and Donegan rank second (9:47.17) and sixth (9:49.16), respectively, in the steeplechase this year and head to their second straight NCAA East Preliminary on May 26-28 in Jacksonville, Fla. Joining the two of them is graduate student Chelsey Serrano (Raymond, N.H.) who earns her first bid to NCAAs during a track season in the steeplechase. Short is primed to race in the 10,000-meter race while Gajewski looks for her first NCAA Championship First Round appearance in the 800-meter race for a total of five student-athletes competing at NCAAs.
The Wildcats have never had a season with a first and two second-place finishes in the America East cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field championships in a single season. A total of 12 school records were broken this season and there is much more to come.
For the most up-to-date information on the women's track & field team, visit the new UNHWildcats.com. Text UNH to 90561 to sign up for Sports alerts. Message & Data Rates May Apply. 1 message/text. Consent to receive a text message is not a condition of purchasing goods or services. Text HELP to 90561 for info. STOP to cancel. T&Cs & Privacy Policy is available HERE.
The cross country team began the season with a third consecutive America East Championship led by senior Laura Rose Donegan (Melbourne, Australia) who finished second overall and was named the America East Elite 18 Award winner with the highest grade point average at the championships. The Wildcats claimed three of the top-7 times for the 3-peat.
Donegan went on to compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships where she finished 30th overall out of 254 of the country's top runners for All-American status, the second of her Wildcat career. Donegan also was named the Elite 90 award winner for the highest grade point average of any student-athlete running at the NCAA Championships, with a 4.0 GPA in political science. Each of the 90 sponsored sports by the NCAA has one Elite 90 recipient with the highest GPA at the NCAA Championship of that particular sport. She became the second UNH athlete to ever receive the honor. The team as a whole was recognized by the NCAA as having a multi-year Academic Progress Rate score in the top-10 percent of their respective sport.
The indoor season kicked off with sophomore Elinor Purrier (Montgomery, Vt.) recording the school record in the 1,000-meter race (2:46.02) at home against the College of the Holy Cross. Shortly after she marked the top mile time (4:29.71) in the nation – eighth fastest ever recorded- at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational. She wasn't done there, running the anchor leg in the America East champion distance medley relay team with a time of 11:28.56 for another school record to go along with the mile and 1,000-meter records. Donegan continued her strong season with school records in the 3,000-meter run (9:26.72) and the 5,000-meter event (16:16.12). Sophomore Danielle Gajewski (Danville, N.H.) also set the record in the 500-meter run (1:14.17) to round of the program records.
UNH finished second at the AE Indoor Championships, the best overall ranking since 2008, with championships from Gajewski (800m), Purrier (mile), Donegan (5K) and both 4x800-meter and distance medley relay teams. The distance groups pushed the scoring with first, second and sixth place finishes in the 5K and first, second, and sixth place in the mile. Purrier went on to compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships and placed third overall in the mile (4:38.42) for All-American status and the best finish of any UNH athlete at NCAAs. She was also named Northeast Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The team again was recognized by the NCAA for their top-10 Academic Progress rating.
Outdoor track had much of the same success with school records set by Purrier (800m – 2:06.63, 3K steeple – 9:47.16), Wernig (Discus – 148' 1") and the sprint medley (3:56.75) and 4x1,500-meter (18:34.27) relay teams. UNH placed second at the America East Outdoor Championships with titles by Purrier (800m, 1,500m), senior Amber Short (Keene, N.H.) (10K), Donegan (3K steeple), Wernig (Discus) and the 4x800-meter relay team. Purrier also qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 3K steeplechase with the school-record time in the event, set for July.
Purrier and Donegan rank second (9:47.17) and sixth (9:49.16), respectively, in the steeplechase this year and head to their second straight NCAA East Preliminary on May 26-28 in Jacksonville, Fla. Joining the two of them is graduate student Chelsey Serrano (Raymond, N.H.) who earns her first bid to NCAAs during a track season in the steeplechase. Short is primed to race in the 10,000-meter race while Gajewski looks for her first NCAA Championship First Round appearance in the 800-meter race for a total of five student-athletes competing at NCAAs.
The Wildcats have never had a season with a first and two second-place finishes in the America East cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field championships in a single season. A total of 12 school records were broken this season and there is much more to come.
For the most up-to-date information on the women's track & field team, visit the new UNHWildcats.com. Text UNH to 90561 to sign up for Sports alerts. Message & Data Rates May Apply. 1 message/text. Consent to receive a text message is not a condition of purchasing goods or services. Text HELP to 90561 for info. STOP to cancel. T&Cs & Privacy Policy is available HERE.
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