Men's & Women's Cross Country

2008 Women's Season Recap

Led by seniors Amanda Haimes, Kaitlyn Sephton and Andrea DeRocco, the Clark University women’s cross country team made its presence felt on the trails this fall. The Cougars best performance of the season came at the Western New England College Invitational, where they placed fifth in the 20-team field. That’s also where Sephton earned the fastest time of her career with a 13th place, 20:54 finish, claiming Clark’s Cougar of the Week honor for her performance in the 5K.

Sephton also joined teammates DeRocco, Haimes, Emma Siemasko, Lily Chaleff and Katelin Wolfinger at the 2008 ECAC Championships held in Bristol, R.I. Sephton placed 109th out of 298 runners to help Clark finish 33rd. In other meet highlights, Clark placed fourth (99 points) at the Worcester City Championships and 10th (280 points) at the NEWMAC Championships. Sephton and Siemasko finished one-two for Clark in both races, placing 12th (22:42) and 13th (22:46), respectively, in the Worcester City Meet, and 55th (21:28) and 59th (21:39.11) at NEWMAC’s, respectively.

The women’s cross country team took the lead in the classroom for Clark this fall. They placed five runners on the NEWMAC All-Academic team: Senior Kaitlyn Sephton, junior Emma Siemasko and sophomores Brooke Badon and Heather Goodale.

2008 Men's Recap

The Clark University men’s cross country team ran in the right direction under the guidance of first-year head coach Mark Perrone. The Cougars once again capped the year by sending seven runners, including Caleb Evanter, Cory Leonard, Bob Naughton, Patrick O’Neil, Joe McClintock, Lee Stone and Nathaniel Noton-Freeman, to the NCAA Division III Regional Cross Country Championships held at Williams College. In the 8,000 meter run, Evanter had a solid showing with a 128th place finish (28:52.6) out of 331 runners. The senior runner also led Clark in all eight races this fall, garnering Cougar of the Week honors on October 13, and finished his career with a personal best time of 26:43 in the UMass-Dartmouth Invitational’s 8K.

Clark’s highest team finish came in the first meet of the year – the Smith Invitational – where they placed sixth in the 13-team field. They maintained the fourth spot (104 points) in the Worcester City Championship meet for the third straight year, and took seventh at the NEWMAC Championships with 195 points. Evanter paced Clark again with his 33rd place finish (27:12.14).

Evanter and Lee Stone finished off their careers with their fourth NEWMAC All-Academic team award.

2007 Men's Season Preview

The Clark University men’s cross country team will hit the ground running this fall as they look to carry over their success from last year. The Cougars will get a quick look at conference action, as they travel to the Smith Invitational for the first race of the season. This year’s New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship meet will be held at the same course, providing the team with invaluable experience on the course. The team will return to the Worcester City Meet, where they posted a fourth place finish last year.

The Cougars are paced by senior Thomas MacCarthy, who led his team to a second place finish at last season’s WNEC Invitational, crossing the line seventh overall. The club will look to junior Caleb Evanter, who placed 13th in Clark’s second place finish at the Roger Williams Invitational last year, to step up after graduating several seniors. The Cougars will also look to Martin Leggett and William Nodding, two incoming freshman with great potential, to make an impact on the team.

Head Coach Chris D’Aniello, returning for his sixth year at the helm, is optimistic about the team’s potential this season. “We’ve returned a lot of [veteran runners] and have some top-tier recruits,” he says of the running corps. “The challenge is the learning curve for the freshman, moving from three miles to five miles. It’s a whole new world for them.” To combat this challenge and get the youngsters up to speed, the team held a summer camp at Miles Standish State Park in Plymouth, Mass. The camp, run by the captains, gave the team a chance to get in some extra training as well as team bonding.

Coach D’Aniello will be joined by Assistant Coach Louis Cote this season. Cote ran under D’Aniello’s leadership as an undergraduate at Worcester State College and is an avid local runner.

By Sports Information Intern, Bill Cobb

2007 Women's Season Preview

The Clark University Women’s Cross Country team looks to get off to a fast start this season with a core group of returning veterans aided by a promising freshman class. The Cougars will get a quick look at conference action, as they travel to the Smith Invitational for the first race of the season. This year’s New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship meet will be held at the same course, providing the team with invaluable experience. The team will return to the Worcester City Meet, where they posted a third place finish last year.

Ellen Durand, who placed fourth at last year’s Western New England College Invitational en route to a second-place team finish, will set the pace for the Cougars this season. Junior Kaitlyn Sephton, who crossed the line sixth at the WNEC meet, will be right on Durand’s heels as the team’s top runners. The team will also look to the returning Emily “The Pain” Tremaine and incoming freshman Jill Johnson to contribute at the top of the Cougar pack.

Despite losing three key runners to graduation, sixth-year Head Coach Chris D’Aniello is optimistic about the team’s potential this season. “We’ve returned a lot of [veteran runners] and have some top-tier recruits,” he says of the running corps. “I think we’re in a better place heading into the season than last year.” To get the youngsters up to speed the team held a summer camp at Miles Standish State Park in Plymouth, Mass. The camp, run by the captains, gave the team a chance to get in some extra training as well as team bonding.

Coach D’Aniello will be joined by Assistant Coach Louis Cote this season. Cote ran under D’Aniello’s leadership as an undergraduate at Worcester State College and is an avid local runner.

By Sports Information Intern, Bill Cobb

About the Program

The men’s and women’s cross country teams compete in both invitational and dual meets during the regular season. Clark’s cross-country runners practice in the many city and state parks near the University, taking long-distance runs through the wooded reservoir area of the neighboring town of Holden. At the end of the season the team competes for the NEWMAC Championship with the season culminating at the ECAC and NCAA New England Division III Championships.

In fall 2003, Clark unveiled its new cross-country course, located about 20 minutes from campus in the neighboring town of Boylston. The Cougars host invitationals on this challenging course, a combination of wooded trails and open fields set within 269 acres of woodland, mixed-hardwood forest and community park land.

The 2007 women’s cross country team experienced one of its most successful campaigns in recent years. They captured three team titles for the first time since 1999, including just their second Worcester City Championship in 12 years. The Cougars also sent seven runners to the NCAA Division III New England Regional Cross Country Championships.

The up-and-coming men’s cross country squad made significant strides last season. They improved their standing in the conference with a sixth place finish and three top-five team performances. Co-captains Thomas McCarthy ‘08 and Caleb Evanter ‘09 represented Clark at the NCAA Division III Regional Championships. The 2005 men’s team was one of the deepest and most talented group of runners that Clark fielded in over a decade. At the NCAA Regional Meet, the Cougars placed 28th of 43 teams in a highly competitive field, finished a team-best fifth place at the NEWMAC Championship and McCarthy won the Worcester City Meet on Clark’s home course.

The future is bright as the team returns with experience and depth in 2008. Back to the top

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