NEW LONDON, Conn. (November 16, 2024) – The Golden Bears traveled to New London, Connecticut for the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships, hosted by Connecticut College. The women's team saw Olivia Kay and Nina Garofalo lead the way. The men's team saw Matt Provost and Nicholas Smith lead, with Provost breaking the team's and Provost's 8000m record once again.

Place:

Women's Team: 24th/24

Men's Team: 19th/24

How it Happened:

The women's 6000m race was the first to run at 11:00 AM. Olivia Kay and Nina Garofalo were the first two Golden Bears to cross the finish line. Kay ended the race with a time of 25:37.80, and Garofalo ended with a time of 27:03.90. Maria Da Silva was next for WNE with a time of 28:01.40. Then, Lauren Vossler and Eleni Kantos would finish the race with times of 29:31.90 and 30:26.90, respectively. Alyssa Clemence would finish after Eleni Kantos, with a time of 31:33.40. The Golden Bears had a final score of 745 and finished in 24th place.

The men's 8000m race was next at noon. Matt Provost added to Provost's record-breaking season with another team record. Provost finished with a season and career-best time of 26:31.90. Provost finished in 58th place in the region. Nicholas Smith was next with a time of 28:53.50. John Bieszczad finished with a time of 29:32.10, and Pablo Tapion was next with a season-best time of 29:35.70. Carter Masse would finish next for WNE, with a time of 30:38.70 and Joshua Farrell would follow Masse, with a time of 31:17.00. Brian Krzanowski was next with a time of 31:22.60. The Golden Bears ended with a final score of 592 points, and that would place them 19th in the race.

Coach's Corner:

Head coach Jon Harris was asked to talk about the race today and this year's graduating class for both teams. "We train all season to peak for the Conference Championship. That is where all of our focus is from day one. Trying to hold that level for an additional two weeks and still run your best at NCAA Regionals is a challenge," Harris stated.

"It was a tough day for the women's team with 2 of our top 5 runners out due to illness. However, the remaining athletes fought hard right to the end, showing why this team has made significant progress this year and will continue to improve moving forward. I am really proud of all the hard work and dedication that has gone into the last three months. If they continue this effort, things are really looking up for 2025," Harris continued.

"A great example was set this fall by senior Alyssa Clemence. Her early career at WNE was plagued by injuries, but she never gave up. She worked around a challenging class schedule this year, got in those early morning workouts, pushed herself in every race, and steadily improved all season," Harris added.

"The men's team continued to show how well they work together on the course and how any one of them can step up to have a big race on any given day. There is a big pack that I expect to continue to work hard all winter, spring, and summer and really surprise some people with what they look like next fall," Harris mentioned.

"I want to thank senior Nic Carlson for everything that he has brought to the team for the past 4 years. Nic was never afraid to put in the miles. He helped create a culture that embraced the long run and set the tone for training that helped everyone improve," Harris stated.

"Senior Matt Provost had another very impressive performance. He ended his WNE Cross Country career by breaking his own school record yet again. Matt has been a great example of what you can achieve if you are willing to put in the year-round effort and leave everything out there on the course. Replacing someone who has run faster than anyone else in the history of the program isn't going to be easy, but Matt has shown his teammates the blueprint for success," Harris noted.

"With a great season behind us, it's time to look forward to track in the spring," Harris concluded.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The 2024-2025 seasons concluded for the Golden Bears at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships.