BC harriers flying high, thanks to the Guineys
Middletown South stars enjoy big seasons
Boston College’s women’s cross country team soared in 2001 behind Middletown’s Guiney twins, Cate and Maggie.
Cate Guiney was tabbed as the Northeast Runner of the Year and Maggie earned All-American recognition for a second straight year.
The Golden Eagles, running without the injured Cate, finished their season with a strong sixth-place finish at the 2001 NCAA Cross Country Championships held at Furman University in Greenville, S.C., on Nov. 19.
Maggie Guiney led the stellar effort at Furman with one of the finest races of her career. The junior was 10th, covering the 5,000-meter course in 20:56. Arizona’s Tara Chaplin was the Division I national champion, posting a 20:24.
The Eagles totaled 231 points in the race that went to Brigham Young (62).
The sixth-place national finish was just the latest in a string of outstanding performances by the Eagles during the 2001 season. In all of the races, it was the Middletown South High School stars who led the way.
Cate and Maggie Guiney started it all off with a one-two finish at the Iona Meet of Champions held at the famous Van Cortlandt Park course in the Bronx, New York City. Cate crossed the line first in 20:05.2 with Maggie second in 20:43.1. The one-two Guiney finish led the Eagles to the team title.
At the big NCAA Pre-Championship Meet at Furman, Cate Guiney ran the best race of her career, taking home second place out of a field of 246 runners in 20:31. The University of Washington’s Sabrino Monro was the only runner to finish ahead of Guiney, clocking 20:24. The race attracted most of the teams and top runners who would compete at the NCAA Championships in November. Maggie Guiney ran eighth in this race in 21:06, and BC finished fourth (144) behind the winner, Stanford (72), Brigham Young (74) and North Carolina State (142).
The Golden Eagles returned to Van Cortlandt Park for the Big East Championships, where Georgetown prevented a BC repeat by beating the Eagles, 36-53. BC did have the honor of having the individual champion as Cate Guiney ran a 22:04 over the 6,000-meter course to finish 23 seconds up on runner-up Marni Kruppa of Georgetown. Maggie Guiney, second in the Big East in 2000, was third this time in 22:33.
Boston College did defend its NCAA District I Qualifying championship and Maggie Guiney captured the individual title. Running on their home course, Boston’s Franklin Park, and without the injured Cate Guiney, the Eagles easily beat Providence, 53-95, for the crown. Maggie won the 6K race in a rapid 20:29, four seconds up on Kate O’Neill of Yale and BC teammate Maria Cicero, who each ran 20:33.
It was on to the NCAA’s for the Eagles where Maggie Guiney nailed down All-American honors for the second straight year. She and Cate were both All-Americans in 2000.