Five Owls to Compete at NCAA Track Championships
KEENE, N.H. 03/7/06 - There used to be a time when running and Keene State College meant the Owls’ highly successful men’s cross country team. But that’s not the case any more.
Push over guys, the women’s track team is right on your heels. For the first time in the program’s history, Keene State will send five women athletes to the NCAA Division III Track and Field championships that take place this weekend at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn.
“On the track, the women have been better overall for a while,” said longtime KSC track coach Peter Thomas. “The guys are more distance oriented, while the women have more speed and athleticism.”
Keene State has qualified athletes in five events. Jennifer Adams (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) will run the mile, Sarah Miller (Walpole, N.H.) will compete in the 400-meter race, Breanne Lucey (Keene, N.H.) is a top competitor in the 800, and Crystal Blamy (Walpole, N.H.) is entered in the high jump event. Adams, Miller, and Lucey will join forces with Kristen Gavin (Brimfield, Mass.) in the distance medley relay (DMR).
Lucey will be the top seed in the 800. “There are runners right on her heels time wise, but if Bre runs her race, she should be at least top-three and has a pretty good shot at winning,” Thomas said.
Earlier this season, Lucey set KSC records in the 600 (1:36.29) and 800 (2:11.17).
According to Thomas, Adams has a chance at a top-three finish in the mile. “My goal is to get All-American,” said Adams, who is ranked fifth in the event. “If I’m having a good day, I could shoot for a higher finish.”
Adams, who raced to All-America cross country honors in the fall, set a new Owl record in the mile (4:58.87) last weekend at Trinity College’s last chance meet.
Miller and Blamy will be making their second trip to the nationals. Miller qualified in the 400 last year, but didn’t make the finals. Blamy earned All- America honors in the high jump as a freshman competing for Wheaton (Mass.) College.
“I’m both excited and nervous,” said Miller, who hopes to reach the finals this year.
Blamy feels if she can reach or surpass the 5’7” mark, she’ll have a great shot at All-America. “Hopefully I can transform my adrenaline into a good performance,” said Blamy, who is ranked fourth in the event.
The championship will wrap up on Saturday with the running of the DMR. “We can win it,” said a confident Gavin, who will run the third leg (800) of the race. “Everyone is peaking at the right time.”
Thomas knows his athletes must overcome their butterflies if they hope to win. “Experience is a factor,” he said. “Hopefully, they’ll look around and see some familiar faces of runners they competed against and beat.”
With five competitors, Keene State has an opportunity not only to bring home All-America awards in all their events, but also tally some significant team points. The Owls have a chance at surpassing the record 20 points Mary Proulx earned by herself at the 2002 outdoor national championship.
“Regardless of what happens, it’s been a tremendous year,” said Thomas. “Everyone has exceeded expectations and getting All-American would be the icing on the cake for all of them.”
