Raptor of the Week: Joelle Diener

RAPTOR OF THE WEEK
Joelle Diener (Rickenbach, Switzerland/Kantonsschule, Olten)

Senior Joelle Diener captured her third Raptor of the Week honor this fall while completing her fine Rutgers-Camden cross country career at the NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional in Rochester, NY, Nov. 12. Diener finished 74th overall out of 207 women competitors, posting a 6K time of 25:09.5. It was her second-fastest 6K time of the fall (the fastest was 24:30.0 at the New Jersey Athletic Conference championships Oct. 29) and helped her finish her career with the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth-fastest 6K times in program history. The Lady Raptors’ team captain also won back-to-back Raptor of the Week honors Sept. 26 and Oct. 3 this fall, and earned a pair of Raptor of the Week honors as a junior on Oct. 4 and Nov. 15, 2004. Over the final two years of her three-year Rutgers-Camden career, she finished first in all 15 cross country races she ran for the Lady Raptors, including all seven this season.

CROSS COUNTRY
Sat., Nov. 12 NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional
(at Genesee Valley Park, Rochester, NY)

MEN (8K): 1. The College of New Jersey, 64; 2. SUNY-Geneseo, 65; 3. New York University, 68; 4. University of Rochester, 146; 5. SUNY-Cortland, 151; 6. SUNY-Plattsburgh, 206; 7. SUNY-Brockport, 214; 8. Rochester Institute of Technology, 216; 9. St. Lawrence University, 267; 10.(tie) SUNY-Fredonia and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 314; 12. Rowan University, 325; 13. Vassar College, 353; 14. Ithaca College, 359; 15. SUNY-Oswego, 448; 16. Alfred University, 471; 17. SUNY-Oneonta, 473; 18. Hamilton College, 479; 19. Clarkson University, 489; 20. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, 550; 21. Richard Stockton College, 589; 22. Nazareth College, 600; 23. Stevens Tech, 657; 24. Buffalo State, 736; 25. Ramapo, 746; 26. Hartwick College, 763; 27. SUNY-Maritime 828; 29. Union College, 898; 30. Rutgers-Camden, 933; 31. York College, 989; 32. Lehman College, 1021.

Leading runner: Matt DeShane (SUNY-Plattsburgh), 25:16.1
Leading Rutgers-Camden runner: Travis Stewart, 28:43.0

WOMEN (6K): 1. SUNY-Geneseo, 22; 2. Ithaca College, 80; 3. The College of New Jersey, 97; 4.(tie) University of Rochester and St. Lawrence University, 217; 6. SUNY-Cortland, 231; 7. SUNY-Plattsburgh, 249; 8. SUNY-Brockport, 263; 9. New York University, 275; 10. Vassar College, 310; 11. SUNY-Fredonia, 329; 12. Hamilton College, 354; 13. Rochester Institute of Technology, 367; 14. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 405; 15. Clarkson University, 430; 16. SUNY-Oneonta, 440; 17. Alfred University, 464; 18. Nazareth College, 514; 19. William Smith College, 555; 20. Buffalo State, 574; 21.(tie) SUNY-Oswego and Union College, 606; 23. Richard Stockton College, 614; 24.(tie) York College and Rowan University, 642; 26. Hartwick College, 656; 27. Lehman College, 699; 28. Kean University, 757. Incomplete: Rutgers-Camden.

Leading runner: Allison Busby (SUNY-Plattsburgh), 21:54.7.
Leading Rutgers-Camden runner: Joelle Diener, 25:09.5.

Rutgers University-Camden freshman Travis Stewart (Runnemede, NJ/Triton Regional) and senior Joelle Diener (Rickenbach, Switzerland/Kantonsschule, Olten) completed their season by leading the Scarlet Raptors’ cross country teams at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Atlantic Regional Nov. 12 at Genesee Valley Park in Rochester, NY.

The Rutgers-Camden men compiled 933 points to finish 30th out of 32 teams in the 8K race won by The College of New Jersey, which edged SUNY-Geneseo, 64-65. SUNY-Plattsburgh junior Matt DeShane was the top individual runner in a time of 25:16.1 in a race which featured 231 athletes.

On the women’s side, the Lady Raptors ran only two runners – Diener and junior Rachel McCormick (Blue Anchor, NJ/Winslow Township) – as they didn’t field a complete team. The championship was won by SUNY-Geneseo, which scored 22 points to easily out-distance runnerup Ithaca College (80) in the race which featured 28 complete teams. The individual champion was sophomore Allison Busby from SUNY-Plattsburgh, who ran the 6K race in 21:54.7. The race featured 207 women.

Stewart and Diener led the Raptors in all seven races this season. Stewart finished 142nd overall in a time of 28:43.0. In the women’s race, Diener finished 74th at 25:09.5, while McCormick posted a time of 29:05.2 to finish 190th.

In the men’s race, Raptors senior Chris McGowan (Barrington, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) finished 164th overall (29:34.5), while freshman Darryl Mendillo (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) was 214th (33:45.3). Junior Frank Tinney (Blackwood, NJ/Paul VI) finished 227th (37:35.9), junior Matt Calloway (Blackwood, NJ/Highland Regional) finished 228th (37:36.4), and senior Taiwan Lamb (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) was 231st (53:56.8).