Seton Hall University
Monmouth Season Opener
Blackburn, Quisenberry Add Wins at Monmouth
3/31/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
March 31, 2014
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - After kicking off the spring with four event victories at the Stockton Invitational, the Seton Hall cross country teams continued their winning ways over the weekend as freshmen Desyre Blackburn (Aloha, Ore.) and Cameron Quisenberry (Owensboro, Ky.) strode their way to first-place finishes as the Pirates competed on a limited basis at the rain-soaked Monmouth Season Opener track & field meet.
An impact addition who scored in all nine meets in the fall, Quisenberry topped a 17-man 5,000-meter field by crossing the line in 16:15.54. Classmate Sean Kip (Union, N.J.) wasn't far behind, clocking in at 16:25.28 to take third.
Blackburn's win came by virtue of a 5:01.55 performance in her 1,500m race, outclassing 14 other female runners in the field. Like Quisenberry, Blackburn continues to turn in strong efforts following a fall in which she emerged as one of the most consistent runners in the Seton Hall lineup.
Fellow newcomer Holli Rolle (Nassau, Bahamas) ranked fourth in her 1,500m race with a time of 5:06.67 while senior Kristen May (Shrewsbury, Mass.) (5:27.32) and freshman Caitlin O'Kane (Morris Plains, N.J.) (5:35.70) came in back-to-back, placing sixth and seventh respectively in their 1,500m event.
On the men's side, sophomore Jacob Bast (St. Louis, Mo.) added a third-place showing with a time of 4:19.76 at 1,500 meters while freshman Victor Ricci (Narragansett, R.I.) recorded a team-best mark of 4:13.49 to rank sixth in section three of the 1,500m event.
Two victors from the previous weekend also contributed third-place times at Monmouth as senior Nyala Eddings (Chicago, Ill.) clocked the third-fastest 800-meter time out of 60 female runners as she crossed the line in 2:21.52. Junior Felicia Mingrone (Shelton, Conn.) added a 2:34.63 effort that was third among 12 entrants in the section six 800m race.
The first-place finisher at 5,000 meters at Stockton, junior Kevin Walsh (Deltaville, Va.) continued to shine for The Hall in the second outing of the spring. Walsh took home third-place in the 10K at Monmouth on Saturday, coming in more than two minutes under his previous personal best with a 33:13.52 mark.
Junior Allyson Guieb (Robbinsville, N.J.) wrapped up the day for the Pirates in strong fashion, coming within one second of victory with a 400m hurdles time of 1:13.87.
Both Seton Hall cross country squads will be back in action this Saturday, April 5 when the Pirates head to Allentown, Pa. to take part in the Muhlenberg Invitational. The meet will be the third of five that The Hall is scheduled to compete in this spring.
