The women’s cross country team added another accomplishment to its already successful season. Recently, Diana D’Achille, a senior graphic design major, broke the school’s 6K record held by her teammate, senior Elizabeth Schwab.
The team placed first at the Lock Haven Invitational, held onSept. 21. D’Achille broke the school’s 6K record at this meet.
“This was very gratifying. Being that I am a senior, this is my last year of running cross country. It also reinforces that anything is possible if you work hard and believe in yourself,” said D’Achille.
D’Achille ran the 6K with a time of 21:57.9 beating the record by 5 seconds. She credits her success to the off-season training during this past summer.
“They say your races are won in the summer. You start training in the summer to build a strong foundation. In the fall, we build upon this summer foundation with speed sessions, longer runs, core strength training, and cross training,” said D’Achille.
Even though D’Achille broke the schools 6K record, she said she and her teammates aren’t getting complacent.
“A personal goal I have as well as the team is to qualify for the nationals. We need to be one of the top contenders at regionals in order to qualify,” she said.
The women’s cross country team has never made it to nationals, and they seem poised to make an appearance in November.
Another member of the team, Emma Doughman, a sophomore health and physical education major, said she is happy for her teammate’s success.
“I see how dedicated and motivated Diana is, and it helps push me to do better,” said Doughman.
Head coach of the women’s cross country team, Kevin Borrelli, said he is pleased with the progress D’Achille has made throughout her career.
“Diana has always been a very talented runner. She has an extraordinary ability to withstand a great deal of pain. I’ve always known Diana had the ability to achieve great things. She has been a key in this team’s success over the past four years,” said Borrelli.
With the women’s cross country team ranking high in regional events, they have a great chance of making it to nationals toward the end of November.
“I know this team has what it takes to make it to nationals. We are running at a very high level, right when it matters most,” said Borrelli.
