Strong Front Pack Nets 7th

(9/15/2007) See more Photos     Full Results

Facing a field of over 200 runners and 31 teams, the Jumbos competed at the UMass-Dartmouth Invitational on Saturday and finished a respectable 7th place overall. With seven men on the line in the varsity race and the rest of the team racing in the sub-varsity section, the squad executed with precision their race strategy of packing up and running a smart, conservative first half.

Captain Dave Sorensen, sophomores Jesse Faller and Nick Welch, and freshman Greg Pallotta formed a solid front pack, looking smooth as they cruised through a comfortable first 5k. They moved through the field over the last two miles, sticking together to finish within nine seconds of each other, all four men in top 25 and with their first ever sub-26:00 performances.

Sophomore Billy Hale finished strong in 94th place, besting his time from this race last year by 13 seconds with a PR of 27:45. Just seconds behind him was junior David Tilton in 27:51. Senior Matt Alander rounded out the varsity seven in 108th place and a time 28:15.

Lacing up the spikes in the sub-varsity race, TUXC freshman displayed impressive form in their first foray to the 5 mile distance. Frosh Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot ran a solid debut 8k to finish in 27:02, the fifth fastest Jumbo time of the day. Classmate Jeff Ragazzini was next across the line in 27:27, with fellow member of the class of 2011 Chris Brunnquell not far behind in 27:49. Captain Alex Bloom showed the dividends of his hard summer training with a PR of 28:06, and freshman Andrew Bellet ran a smooth 28:21.

Trinity took top honors at the meet, reiterating the strength they displayed at their home invite last weekend with the overall winner (Hunter Norte in 24:46) and two more in the top 10. With seven of the top eight teams hailing from the DIII NE region, it looks as though the competition will be fierce at every meet this fall. As Captain Christopher Kantos returns to form, the Jumbos will be even stronger in the weeks to come.

The team heads out to Grafton, MA, next weekend to defend their home course at the Jumbo Invite.


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