On Friday, Nov. 15, the Sacred Heart University men’s cross country team finished up their fall season at the National Collegiate Athletics Association Division I Northeast Regional Championship. The race took place at Hopkinton Fairgrounds in Hopkinton, N.H.
Source: Instagram, @shu_tfxc
Source: Instagram, @shu_tfxc
The Pioneers finished with a total of 1,076 points and came in 37th place out of 38. Sophomore Michael Mason earned the top team finish for the fourth time of the season and finished in 190th place out of 256 with an overall time of 33:16.28.
“It was a solid race overall,” said junior Matthew Vene. “It was a nice way to conclude the season.”
Along with Mason, Sacred Heart’s other top finishers were Vene who came in 209th place with a time of 33:36.97 and junior Owen Delisle who scored 225th place with a time of 34:25.30.
First-year students Anthony Esposito and Demetri Franzese rounded out Sacred Heart’s top five with times of 34:31.51 and 34:43.37. Esposito got 229th place while Franzese finished in 236th place.
“I think this is the most complete team we have had since I have been at Sacred Heart,” said junior Ryan Jaipaul. “I have extremely high hopes.”
Mason’s first top team finish came on Saturday, Aug. 31 when Sacred Heart had their first meet of the season in Stony Brook, N.Y. Mason earned 17th place and posted a time of 20:15.5 in the 6K race which was his personal best.
Mason’s second top team finish occurred on Saturday, Sept. 14 at the Manhattan University Jasper Fall Invitational in Montgomery, N.Y. His third was on Sunday, Oct. 20 at the University of Vermont Fall Foliage Invitational which took place in St. Albans, Vt.
Mason got 29th place in the Jasper Fall Invitational with a time of 26:02.6, and he got 11th place at the Fall Foliage Invitational with a time of 26:05.3.
“Michael having four first place finishes on the season are really no surprise to me,” said Jaipaul. “He is an incredibly dedicated runner that trains hard, smart, and with purpose.”
Each school consisted of seven runners at most. The scoring was determined by the top five finishers from each school, and the school with the lowest combined score would win.
According to the American Statistical Association, a team’s sixth and seventh runners do not score
points, but they still have a big role as their places can change the scores of the other teams.
The Pioneers also competed in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday, Nov. 2. The race was held at Twin Ponds on the Farm in Montgomery, N.Y.
Sacred Heart got 12th place out of 13 and ended with a total of 312 points. Franzese obtained the top team finish for the first time in his career and came in 80th place overall with a time of 26:21.4.
“Demetri had really nice performances,” said Mason. “He is probably one of the best freshman performers over the last few years.”
Other top finishers for Sacred Heart were Vene who finished in 86th place with a time of 26:29.6 and Mason who got 101st place with a time of 26:48.9.
Delisle finished right behind Mason in 102nd place and got a time of 26:49.4. The final top finish came from Esposito who got a time of 27:05 and finished in 113rd place.
“I think the winter season is going to be one for the history books,” said Vene. “We can definitely shoot for top three in the conference.”
