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News Release
Force 3 UMBC Athlete of the Week: Kathleen Galan
11/21/2006
 Kathleen Galan led the Retrievers across the finish line at the NCAA Regionals. |
Name: Kathleen Galan
Sport/Position: Cross Country
Hometown/High School:
Last Week: 22:48.6 in 6K; 94th place in NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship (11/11)
Retrievers Last Week: 22nd place at NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship (11/11)
Senior Kathleen Galan led the UMBC women’s cross country team to a 22nd place finish last week at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional en route to a personal career best time. The accomplishment earns her the Force 3 UMBC Athlete of the Week honor for last week.
Galan, a Sicklerville, N.J., native, ended her UMBC cross country career in high fashion as she finished in 22:48.6, dropping over two seconds from her previous best time of 22:50.8 set last year at the 2005 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship in the last collegiate cross country meet of her career.
The team co-captain for the past two years, Galan paced the Retrievers during the regular and post-seasons, finishing in the top Retriever spot for four of the six meets this year.
In the 5K Duals at Mount St. Mary’s this season, Galan improved from her 10th-place finish last year to place fifth, just one spot behind teammate Suzanne Gabriel, with a time of 20:06.07, three seconds faster than last year. At the Navy Salty Sea Dog Invitational, Galan finished 16th with a time of 24:15.42 in the 6K, just eight seconds behind Gabriel. The tide changed, however, when Galan crossed the line first for the Retrievers in a time of 23:09 in the 6K at the Lehigh Paul Short Run.
“At the beginning of the season, Kathleen was running in the No. 2 position, but it didn’t take her long to get the No. 1 spot,” head coach Murray Davis said. “She’s a very consistent runner, and I knew we could always count on her.”
At the America East Conference championships held in Orono, Maine, Galan finished 31st to lead the Retrievers to an eighth-place finish while running the 5K in a career best time of 18:42.90.