NEW HAVEN, Conn. - - During the 33rd Annual Philadelphia Metropolitan Cross Country Championship last weekend, Wilmington University sophomore runner Althea Davidson hopefully saw the competition she will run against in the upcoming Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championship later this season.
Davidson took the 33rd Philly Metro field by storm, winning the event by 12 seconds, earning the Wildcat her third straight CACC Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week honor, announced by the conference office on Wednesday.
The sophomore won her second meet of the season, and continued her streak of placing in the top five in all five meets in 2012. Davidson won the 5k Philly Metro in 20:12, her fastest 5k race of the season. She also won the 12th Annual Wilmington University Cross Country Invite earlier this season.
Davidson shares the repeat honor with Felician's Rob Albano who raced to victory on the men's course at the Philly Metro. He earned his second straight CACC Runner of the Week honors by winning his fourth straight Philly Metro event. His time of 27:28 out-paced the field by 30 seconds.
Nyack's Rebecca Wakley was named the CACC Rookie of the Week for the second time this year, finishing second at the Philly Metro with a time of 20:24. Post's Justin Flucker also repeats as the Men's Rookie of the Week with a 44th place showing during the Philly Metro, leading all Eagles with a time of 33:29.
Wilmington's Bill Steele, who placed second on the men's course with a time of 27:50 and helping the Wildcats to the overall team title, was named to the CACC Men's Cross Country Honorable Mention list for his performance. After winning the CACC Runner of the Week on September 5, Steele has earned Honorable Mention honors in each of the last three weeks.
With the win at the Philly Metro, the men's team bumped up to eighth overall in the latest USTFCCCA Division II East Region Rankings. The Wildcats moved up two slots to eighth overall while Felician dropped two spots to ninth and Philadelphia moved into 10th from being unranked last week. UMass-Lowell still leads the East Region, followed by five more Northeast-10 Conference schools. LIU Post moved up one spot to seventh, and remains as the only East Coast Conference school in the rankings.
Up next for Wilmington is the Don Cathcart Invitational in which both squads will head to Salisbury University for an early morning run on Saturday.