Walkonen tops field at NE Champs

It was the kind of weather that makes you want to visit the beach or hop into a neighbor’s swimming pool, but not the type of day you’d expect for the Boston University men’s and women’s cross-country teams to be competing in on an early October day in New England. On days when temperatures reached the low 80s, the men’s and women’s teams finished third and ninth, respectively, at Saturday’s New England Championships at Franklin Park. The number of strong teams, combined with the heat, made the weekend a true test of the strengths and weaknesses of the BU squads. “I think they were all positive on what they need to work on and how they finished,” said BU Track and Field director Robyne Johnson. “The race was a good gauge going into the America East Championships.” Senior Andrea Walkonen finished first overall for the third consecutive race, as the Terrier women placed behind only Quinnipiac University and Amherst College in the field of 44 teams. The women finished first at the New England Championships each of the past three years, and were only 15 points away from another victory. Four Terrier women finished in the top 20, led by Walkonen’s time of 17:36 in the women’s 5k race. The next three finished within 16 seconds of each other, with senior Anne Wighton in 10th, senior Jennifer Cickay in 17th and sophomore Sarah Mosser in 20th. Freshman Emma Reed (39th place) was the fifth and final scorer for the team. Reed was in the Top 10 with roughly a mile to go when the heat overcame her. She was escorted by an ambulance and later remarked that she had no memory of the last stages of the race, said BU coach Bruce Lehane. “Although we were disappointed not to repeat as New England Champions, we were particularly pleased with Andrea Walkonen’s win and Anne Wighton’s Top 10 finishes,” Lehane said. “Those five women put on a pretty good demonstration of mental toughness in adverse conditions.” With the significant number of injuries and inexperienced runners, Lehane had expressed concern earlier in the season about the fifth spot on the team. The team, however, has shown great promise with Cickay’s performance in her first race of the season and Mosser’s continuous improvement. For the men, sophomore Eric Ashe took 11th overall and first on the team with a time of 25:30 in the 8k race. Seniors David Proctor and Jacob Laroe were strong, finishing in 24th and 30th with times of 25:52 and 25:55, respectively. The teams will compete again at the Pre-Nationals on Oct. 13 in Terre Haute, Ind., followed by two weeks of training for the America East Championships.