UMBC

Sophomore Suzanne Gabriel was second across the line for the Retrievers, finishing in sixth place at the Mount St. Mary's Dual 5K's.

EMMITSBURG, Md.--The UMBC men's and women's cross country teams began the 2007 season at the Mount St. Mary's Dual 5K's in Emmitsburg, Md. on Friday. The men finished with a 2-2-1 record, while the women ended the day with a 1-4 record.

The competition included five teams at this year's running of the race, with the addition of the University of Maryland in addition to regular competitors Loyola, American, UMBC, and host Mount St. Mary's.

The men were victorious over the Mount (1-4) and the Greyhounds (0-5), by scores of 25-33 and 15-47, but fell to the Terps and the Eagles by margins of 15-40 and 15-41, respectively. The Retrievers tied the Colonials with a total score of 28.

Freshman Paul Zwama (Groningen, Netherlands/CSG Dingstede) competed in his first collegiate meet on Friday and led the Retrievers across the line, finishing the 5K course in a time of 16:46.84, good for 15th place.

Junior Andrew Madison (Edgewater, Md./South River) finished in the second scoring spot for the Retrievers in a time of 16:49.72, coming in 16th place.

Freshmen Michael Christmas (Invercargill, New Zealand/James Hargest College) and Chris Snyder (McConnellsburg, Pa./McConnellsburg) were next in line for the Retrievers, finishing 18th and 19th respectively with times of 16:58.91 and 17:00.67.

Junior captain Anthony Kelhower (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape) rounded out the scoring five for the Retrievers, finishing in 21st place with a time of 17:02.04.

On the women's side, newcomer Alex Hyland (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South), who joined the Retriever track and field team in the winter of 2007, led UMBC across the line, finishing the 5K course in a time of 19:4.93, good for third place overall.

The women's team were victorious over the Mount, 25-31, but fell to American, Maryland, George Washington, and Loyola by scores of 21-39, 24-31, 25-30, and 26-33.

Sophomore Suzanne Gabriel (Falls Church, Va./McLean) followed behind Hyland, finishing in sixth place in a time of 20:06.04 and senior captain Tawny Barin (Columbus, N.J./N. Burlington County) was third for the Retrievers, finishing in 24th place in 24:15.00.

Junior Allison Mathis (Williamstown, N.J./Williamstown) and sophomore Mairin Leahy (Taneytown, Md./Francis Scott Key) rounded out the scoring five for the Retrievers, finishing in 35th and 36th place, respectively, with times of 23:41.49 and 23:46.56.

The Maryland men came out on top, tallying a perfect 5-0 record, while the American women were the victors of a 5-0 record.

The Retrievers will return to competition next weekend, when they travel to Annapolis, Md. on Sept. 15 for the Navy Invitational, which begins at 10:00 a.m.