Oct. 15, 2002

ORLANDO, FL - The Johns Hopkins men's and women's cross country teams competed at the Walt Disney World Cross Country Classic this past weekend and performed very well under hot conditions.

The women placed second among Division III schools, just one point out of first place, and were ninth overall in a field of 30 schools. JHU finished just six points out of seventh place with 267 total points. The men were 14th out of 27 schools overall with 413 total points and fourth among Division III schools, just one point out of third place.

The trio of senior Hilary Knipe (Contoocook, NH/St. Paul's School), junior Anna Stirgwolt, and freshman Emily Chisholm (Ashburn, VA/Broad Run) led the women as all three placed in the top 50. Knipe was the top finisher in 20th place in a field of 239 competitors with a time of 19:53.80. Chisholm and Stirgwolt placed 45th and 47th with times of 20:29.10 and 20:34.10, respectively. Knipe, Stirgwolt, and Chisholm have combined for eight of the top nine times this season for Hopkins.

Rounding out the finishers for the women were sophomore Peggy Chu (Columbia, MD/River Hill) in 68th place at a 21:02.50 pace, sophomore Tiffany Miceli (Glendale, NY/St. Francis Prep) in 87th place with a time of 21:24.60, junior Laura Vernikoff (Flushing, NY/Hunter College) in 92nd place with a time of 21:31.40, and sophomore Maureen Kimsey (Branchburg, NJ/Somerville) in 98th place at a 21:42.70 pace.

On the men's side, senior John Onofrey (Needham, MA/Needham) was the top finisher in 33rd place with a time of 27:07.30, but freshman Gabe Tonkin (Santa Barbara, CA/San Marcos) made the most improvement as he ran more than a minute faster than his season-best mark. Tonkin placed 52nd with a time of 27:38.80, the fourth fastest time this season for the Blue Jays. His previous best this season was 28:50.92 at the George Washington Invitational.

Freshman Andrew Bauerschmidt (Carle Place, NY/Carle Place) was the third finisher for the men in 106th place with a season-best time of 29:13.50. Senior Jamie Parks (Seaford, DE/Seaford) was 110th at a 29:22.40 pace, while freshman Jason Farber (Amherst, MA/Amherst Regional) was on his heels in 112th place with a time of 29:24.30. Senior David Courson (Westfield, VT/North Country Union) rounded out the JHU finishers in 136th place with a time of 30:52.70.

The Blue Jays return to action Saturday as Hopkins competes against all Division I schools at the University of Maryland Invitational at 9:00 a.m.