DePaul University
UIC Opener
Campanella, Skorseth Pace DePaul in Season Opener
9/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | CROSS COUNTRY
Men's Results | Men's Head-to-Head | Women's Results | Women's Head-to-Head
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - In the 2016 season opener, the DePaul men's and women's cross country teams produced four top-ten finishers combined and winning records in the head-to-head scoring. The DePaul men's team finished with a perfect 6-0 result.
Alex Campanella opened his senior season with a runner-up finish at a time of 19:15.1 to lead the Blue Demons on Saturday in the 6k race. Campanella was 15 seconds off of Kyle Hauser from UIC, the men's winner.
"The men ran a smart aggressive race from the front, leading a good majority of the way," said assistant cross country coach Derrick Peterson. "Anytime you can place five in the top 20 of any race, you have a great shot at a overall win!"
Chris Korabik and Jeremy Lozano crossed the finish line in fifth and sixth, respectively. Korabik finished with a time of 19:30.4, while Lozano came in at 19:38.4. Jake Pecorin (19:43.5, 12th) and James Ryan (19:54.3, 17th) rounded out the top five for the Blue Demon men.
"James Ryan was the man of the day," stated Peterson. "James got faster as the race went about and progressed his way to the front pack, finishing strong to hold out leading scores."
On the women's side, Paige Skorseth recorded a team-best performance of 15:25.1 on the 4k course for seventh overall. Skorseth was in a battle until the very end with the top runners and finished less than five seconds behind the top women's finisher (Lindsey Brewis, Loyola).
Sabrina Olsen and Batya Beard made their Blue Demon cross country debuts on Saturday. Olsen was the second DePaul runner across the line at 15:45.7 for 12th and Beard clocked a time of 15:53.5 in her collegiate debut to earn 14th.
Jessica Harris earned a top-15 finish when she placed right behind Beard with a time of 15:54.4. Senior Lauren Sharp was the fifth Blue Demon to finish at 16:11.2 in 24th place.
"Paige Skorseth set the pace for the women today, running a good race from the front," stated Peterson. "Sabrina Olsen and Batya Beard ran really well today as our number two and three women. All the ladies came to race today and I'm excited for where the season can go from here."
In the head-to-head scoring, the DePaul men outscored each of its six opponents. The closest scores on the day were against UIC and Loyola with scores of 28-29 vs. UIC and 27-28 vs. Loyola.
The DePaul women's team ended the day with a 5-1 result, outscoring all teams except Loyola (18-41). DePaul edged out host UIC, 26-29, and Lewis, 27-28.
"I think today was a good start to the season for both the men and women's teams," said Peterson. "We had some good progress today and we took steps towards being a really good team."
DePaul is back in action on Friday, Sept. 9 when the Blue Demons race at the Country Financial ISU Invitational. The Normal, Ill. meet is set for a 5 p.m. CT start.
Players Mentioned
