Heibell sets LC record, Hounds place 31st at Paul Short
Dave Lomonico
Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: Sports
Coming off a grueling race in Minneapolis two weeks ago, the Loyola cross country team wasn't expecting to be facing such a highly competitive field this week in Bethlehem, PA. But big-name schools such as Wisconsin, Syracuse and Villanova all showed up for the Brooks/Paul Short Run on Friday, effectively pushing the Greyhounds further down the board than they would have liked. The men finished 31st out of 45 teams in the 8,000-meter race with 854 points, while the women took 32nd out of 43 teams in the 6,000-meter version with 806 points.
But despite placing in the bottom tier, coach Rick Woods said he wasn't disappointed with the results.
"This was the best Paul Short that we've ever run in," Woods said. "There were some unbelievable teams in it, but we did very well."
The results could have been even better. Even with the competition the Hounds were up against, the point spread was close enough on both sides that either team could have easily placed among the top-25 teams. And on the men's side, senior Gian Caccia and junior Terry Moran, two of Loyola's top-five runners, were held out of the competition as they were nursing injuries and saving their energy for the MAAC championships.
But more important than their placement, almost all the Loyola runners ran personal-best times, putting them right on course for the all-important championship races in November.
"Everyone ran tremendous races," Woods said. "I didn't expect to face this competitive of a field, but it was nice because it'll help make our transition into conference championships even more natural."
Senior Chris Heibell, who didn't break 25 minutes in Minneapolis, stepped up in Bethlehem, finishing 81st with a time of 24:58 to lead the Hounds. Heibell became the first Loyola runner in school history to break 25 minutes, setting a new school record.
Courtney McNamara placed first among the women, blazing by her teammates to a 108th place finish in 22:16.
But despite placing in the bottom tier, coach Rick Woods said he wasn't disappointed with the results.
"This was the best Paul Short that we've ever run in," Woods said. "There were some unbelievable teams in it, but we did very well."
The results could have been even better. Even with the competition the Hounds were up against, the point spread was close enough on both sides that either team could have easily placed among the top-25 teams. And on the men's side, senior Gian Caccia and junior Terry Moran, two of Loyola's top-five runners, were held out of the competition as they were nursing injuries and saving their energy for the MAAC championships.
But more important than their placement, almost all the Loyola runners ran personal-best times, putting them right on course for the all-important championship races in November.
"Everyone ran tremendous races," Woods said. "I didn't expect to face this competitive of a field, but it was nice because it'll help make our transition into conference championships even more natural."
Senior Chris Heibell, who didn't break 25 minutes in Minneapolis, stepped up in Bethlehem, finishing 81st with a time of 24:58 to lead the Hounds. Heibell became the first Loyola runner in school history to break 25 minutes, setting a new school record.
Courtney McNamara placed first among the women, blazing by her teammates to a 108th place finish in 22:16.
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