BURLINGTON, Vt.—The UMBC men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the 2009 America East Cross Country Championships Saturday in Burlington, Vt. Both teams placed eighth with the women scoring 178 points and the men 196.

Senior Sara Parkinson (Lancashire, England/Loughborough University) earned All-Conference honors for the second consecutive year after finishing sixth overall in a 5K time of 18:47.50.

Senior Suzanne Gabriel (Falls Church, Va./McLean) placed 24th overall in 19:37.60, while sophomore Keri Wilson (Columbia, Md./Long Reach) was 34th in 20:03.50. Senior Marin Leahy (Tawneytown, Md./Francis Scott Key) and freshman Megan Arnold (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek Regional) rounded out the scoring five.

On the men’s side, senior Andrew Madison (Edgewater, Md./South River) was the first Retriever across the line in 25th overall in a 8K time of 26:43.80. Sophomore Chris Bowie (Bethesda, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase) finished 33rd in 27:00.80, while senior Michael Christmas (Invercargill, New Zealand/James Hargest College) placed 42nd in 27:13.20. Sophomore Roy Jones (New Market, Md./Linganore) and freshman Josh Day (Fort Meade, Md./Meade) rounded out the scoring for the Retrievers.

Binghamton’s men took the conference title, led by Erik van Ingen, who won the individual crown. Corey Conner from Maine won the women’s individual title, while Stony Brook took the team championship.

The next meet for UMBC is the NCAA Regional Championships in Princess Anne, Md. on Nov. 14.