NASHUA, N.H. – Bentley University sophomore Tara Dooley (Lee, Mass./Lee HS) will be making her second trip to the NCAA Division II Women's Cross Country Championships in as many years after a second consecutive second-place finish in the NCAA East Regional, held Sunday afternoon at Mine Falls Park.

The championships will be held November 17 in Joplin, Mo. As a freshman, Dooley placed 49th overall and missed All-America honors by only 15 seconds.

Dooley covered the 6,000-meter course in 21:17.4, finishing about five seconds behind three-time regional champion Jeptui Cherutich. The American International senior is the only East Region runner who has beaten Dooley during her two seasons with the Falcons.

"Tara has been a model of consistency all year and even though her finishes are the same (2nd place at the NE-10s and Regionals), I think she's in better shape than last year," said coach Kevin Curtin. "Fortunately, she gets a chance to prove that in Joplin."

As a team, Bentley placed seventh out of 28 with a score of 202. Stonehill College claimed the individual championship, with a 67 total, and both Adelphi University (97) and The College of Saint Rose (161) also qualified for the nationals as teams.

The top 25 earned All-East Region honors, and two Falcons just missed out on that distinction. Senior Caitlin Fahey (Bridgewater, Mass./Coyle-Cassidy HS) was 27th in 22:53.1 and junior Ashley Nichols (Kenmore, Wash./Inglemoor HS) was 29th in 22.57.6. The cut-off for the top 25 was 22:51.0.

Rounding out Bentley's top five were junior Leah Schiller (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe HS) and freshman Nikki Sirignano (Lynnfield, Mass./Lynnfield HS). Schiller was 49th in 23:33.7 and Sirignano was 100th with a time of 24:53.3. A total of 192 runners participated in the meet.

NCAA DIVISION II EAST REGIONAL
At Mine Falls Park, Nashua, N.H. 

Team Scores: 1. Stonehill 67; 2. Adelphi 97; 3. Saint Rose 161; 4. American International 165; 5. Southern Connecticut St. 185; 5. UMass-Lowell 185; 7. Bentley 202; 8. Philadelphia 256; 9. Merrimack 258; 10. St. Michael's 306; 11. Saint Anselm 334; 12. Le Moyne 335; 13. Southern New Hampshire 372; 14. LIU Post 390; 15. St. Thomas Aquinas 395; 16. Wilmington (Del.) 412; 17. Molloy 436; 18. New Haven 446; 19. New York Tech 478; 20. Nyack 533; 21. Franklin Pierce 536; 22. Univ. of Sciences 538; 23. Assumption 580; 24. Post 696; 25. Holy Family 744; 26. Queens (N.Y.) 777; 27. Felician 813; 28. Goldey-Beacom 861. 

Top Individuals: 1. Jeptui Cherutich, AIC, 21:12.0; 2.Tara Dooley, Bentley, 21:17.4; 3. Courtney Dinnan, Southern Connecticut St., 21:34.6; 4. Caroline McBride, Stonehill, 21:49.4; 5. Althea Davidson, 21:52.9. 

Other Bentley Runners: 27. Caitlin Fahey, 22:53.1; 29. Ashley Nichols, 22:57.6; 49. Leah Schiller, 23:33.7; 100. Nikki Sirignano, 24:53.3; 102. Sarah Brennan, 24:54.5; 105. Samantha Albanese, 25:00.9.