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The Daemen women's cross country team is ranked No. 5 in the East Region this week

Women's Cross Country 10/13/2015 1:00:00 PM

Women's Cross Country Moves Up to No. 5 In Regional Rankings

AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College women's cross country team moved up to No. 5 in the East Region in the latest version of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division II Regional Rankings released today. The Wildcats, under the direction of first-year head coach Paul Lagno, debuted in the poll at No. 6 and remained there for two successive weeks leading up to today's poll.

The top four teams from last week's poll remained the same in this week's version, the sixth poll put out by USTFCCCA this season including its preseason rankings. Stonehill College (No. 1) and Roberts Wesleyan College (No. 2) remained the class of the region atop the rankings.

Last week's No. 5 ranked team, Saint Thomas Aquinas College, dropped to No. 7 this week, opening the door for Daemen ascent into the top five. The biggest jump of the week went to Philadelphia University who were in at No. 6 this week after being previously unranked.

Lagno's squad is again one of three East Coast Conference teams to be included in the poll joining the afore-mentioned Roberts Wesleyan and Saint Thomas Aquinas came.

The Wildcats were able to jump up in the poll despite being idle last week. The Wildcats were scheduled to partake in the Hamilton Invitational last Saturday, but opted for a week of rest instead. The team last competed at the Mike Woods Invitational on October 3, an event hosted by SUNY Geneseo at Letchworth State Park. Daemen finished 11th in the team standings, out of a large field of 32 competing teams.

The Wildcats were paced in their last outing by junior Mackenzie Donahue (East Aurora, N.Y./East Aurora) who, for the second-straight week, eclipsed one of her own school records. Donahue broke her previous best mark for the 6K distance, running the race in 22:14.5 to finish in 12th place. She had set the previous school record of 22:39.8 at the same event last season. Donahue set a new benchmark for the 5K distance (18:19.0) at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational on September 26.

USTFCCCA Regional Cross Country Rankings are determined subjectively by a single member foach in each respective region. The NCAA Division II East Region is comprised of teams from the East Coast Conference, Northeast-10 Conference and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.

Daemen will return to racing this Saturday, October 17 at the Canisius Alumni Classic held at Delaware Park in Buffalo.

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Players Mentioned

Mackenzie Donahue: 5' 2"; Junior

Players Mentioned

Mackenzie Donahue
: 5' 2"; Junior