St. Thomas Aquinas cross country runners Meaghan Ventarola and Kristen Borriello were named to the 2015 All-Region team following their performances at the NCAA East Regional Race in Hopkinton, NH on Sunday. Ventarola finished in 12th place overall while setting the Spartan 6K record of 22:07. Borriello crossed the line just one second later in 13th place. These performance helped the secure a third place team finish and a first ever berth to the Cross Country National Championship which will be held on November 21st in Joplin, Missouri.
Ventarola, a redshirt junior, has had her best season yet this year. She has been the first Spartan finisher in three races this season. She is a two time All-Conference runner. In her first place finish for the Spartans at the NJIT Technology Challenge she set the previous school 5K record and now holds the 6K record.
Borriello, a sophomore, has also continued to improve in her second year in the program. This is her second All-Region Award. This is the 1st time a Spartan cross country runner has recieved back to back regional honors. Borriello, who was a Second Team All-Conference selection as a rookie in 2014 garnered 1st team honors this year. She set the STAC 5K record at the ECC Champioship finishing in 18:13 which was good for 5th place. Borriello has been the top Spartan finisher in three races this season. Borriello was also a USTFCCCA All-Academic selection following her rookie campaign.
"Meaghan and Kristen are not only extremely talented, but also mentally tough and highly competitive," commented 8th year head coach Nicole Ballou. "They push each other in every workout and race. Neither will back down to a challenge which makes them very easy to coach. I am so proud of their accomplishments as individuals and couldn't be happier knowing that they will both be back next season. I am looking forward to watching them grow."
A total of 395 student-athletes (198 men and 197 women) from 142 schools earned the distinction by finishing among the top 25 individual finishers at one of the eight regional sites across the country.
