Skyhawks aim to match last year's New England Championship title, the first in program history
New England Championship Information
Demeule be one of the seven on the line for the Skyhawks that has competed in three New England Championships |
EASTON, Mass. (October 5, 2018) – The Stonehill College men's cross country team, ranked second in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA) East Regional poll and 24th in the National will return to action this Saturday, October 6 at Franklin Park in Boston, Massachusetts. The women's sub varsity event will start at 11:00 a.m., followed by the women's varsity race at 11:45 a.m., and the men's varsity will kick off at 12:30 p.m. and the men's sub varsity at 1:15 p.m.
This year, the men have posted two top-five results out of the two meets that they have participated in. Stonehill earned its fourth place at the Shawn M. Nassaney Invitational in Smithfield, Rhode Island, as three Skyhawks finished in the top-25 competitors out of 93. The next weekend, the men's squad took on the Kutztown Division II/III Challenge, where six Skyhawks placed in the top-15.
Leading the team this year are captains Riley Dowd, Alexander Demeule, and Lucas Taxter. Taxter has led the Skyhawks in both meets this season, as he placed 16th at the Shawn M. Nassaney Invitational and second at the Division II/III Challenge. His season best time this year clocks in a time of 25:54.5 at the first race and this will be his third New England Championship that he has competed in his career.
This will be Demeule's fourth New England Championship competed in, as he placed 38th last year for his best mark. The senior crossed the finish line 17th at the first meet with his season best time of 25:57.7 in an eight-kilometer race and then 16th in the second meet. Dowd will also be running in his fourth New England Championship as he has had two top-20 results this season with 11th at the Division II/III Challenge and 23rd at the Nassaney Invitational. He saw his best finish of ninth at the Championship last year helping the Skyhawks to a first-place overall finish.
McNamee made his collegiate debut at the Nassaney Invitational in September and earned NE10 Rookie of the Week honors |
Sophomore Kevin Wheelock toed the line last year in his first New England Championship, and this season he competed in both races finishing fifth at the Division II/III Challenge and then 32nd at the Nassaney Invitational. Classmate Jeff Pichie ran his second race of his career last season with the New England Championship and has finished 33rd and eighth, respectively, at the meets this season.
Freshmen Nickolas McNamee and Shane Braz will round out the Skyhawk roster in the varsity race, where McNamee has garnered his first-career Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Week honor. Both made their collegiate appearance at the Nassaney Invitational and then competed at the Division II/III Challenge, as McNamee finished 41st and 12th, respectively, while Braz finished sixth and 26th, respectively.
Following the New England Championships, Stonehill will travel to Hopkinton, New Hampshire to take a run on the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds in the Sixth Annual Bruce Kirsh Cross Country Cup, hosted by Franklin Pierce University on Saturday, October 20.
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