Tara Johnson
Mike Touey
Tara Johnson placed fifth in the 2016 MAC Championships and was named the Conference Rookie of the Year

Cross Country Opens 2017 Season With Delaware Valley Invitational

9/1/2017 2:04:00 PM

JUNIORS MICHAEL HAVRILLA AND TARA WEITZ WILL SERVE AS TEAM CAPTAINS

WILKES-BARRE – The Monarchs open the 2017 campaign with an invitational against seven teams at the Delaware Valley University campus on Saturday (Sept. 2). The men's race starts at 10:15 a.m. while the women kickoff at 11:00 a.m. The newly redesigned 8k and 6k courses consist of grass, wooded trails and gravel while being spectator friendly. This marks the first time since 2010 that either the men's or the women's teams have competed at Delaware Valley.

The men's team capped off the 2016 season with a 32nd place finish at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships and an eighth-place finish at the MAC Cross Country Championships. Junior Ben Siegel was the Monarch's top runner, earning first-team honors at MAC's with a ninth-place finish and a time of 27:11.
On the women's side, the team was 27th at the NCAA Regional while taking seventh at MAC's. Standout freshman Tara Johnson earned MAC Rookie of the Year in addition to first-team honors for her fifth-place finish and 6k time of 23:30. 

The King's College men's team features six newcomers, the largest freshmen class since 2012, and returns three of its top-five finishers from 2016. Sophomore Nilang Suthar leads the way after finishing his rookie year strong with a personal-best time of 27:24 at the NCAA Mideast Regional meet. Juniors Michael Havrilla and Michael Duncklee round out the expected top-three with personal-best times of 27:57 and 29:02, respectively. Freshmen Antonio Angelini, Adam Bahrey, Spencer Deros, Steffen Hude, Daniel Michels and Matt Schoch will also be a force for the Monarchs.

"We have a young and talented men's team coming in," said head coach Michael Kolinovsky, "we just need to keep working and building to have success down the road."
The Lady Monarchs feature a talented field with the return of Marissa Durako, who sat out the 2016 season. In her junior year in 2015, Durako was King's first-ever NCAA National Championship qualifier and ran a personal-best time of 22:09.4 at the NCAA Mideast Regional, good for eighth place and the King's all-time record. The women return six of last season's contributors in addition to the four newcomers. Four of the Lady Monarch's top-four scorers return, including sophomore Tara Johnson and juniors Morgan Albrecht, Tara Weitz and Gabrielle Longchamp.

"Our women's team is very strong this season," said coach Kolinovsky, "and if we stay healthy and progress, we can be one of King's most competitive teams in recent years."

Experience is strong on the women's side with junior Irene Argiris and sophomore Anna Marie Beyer wrapping up the returning squad. Incoming freshmen Kelsie Canessa, Cera Gaston, Dannie Saccente and Jessica Tighe are also expected to have an immediate impact. 

Mike Kolinovsky enters his 16th season as the head coach of the King's men's and women's cross country and track teams after taking over in 2002. Assistant coaches Tom Nallon and Ben Markinson enter their eighth and second seasons, respectively.

Both the men's and women's teams follow the same schedule for the season, and after the Delaware Valley Invitational, the Monarchs make the long journey to South Bend for the National Catholic Invitational hosted by University of Notre Dame on Friday, Sept. 15.

For directions to the Delaware Valley Invitation, click here.

The complete men's and women's schedule can be found here.
 
 
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