Great Debut 8k for Freshmen at UMD

(9/20/2008) Full Results

The perenially fast UMASS-Dartmouth 8k was again home to a host of PRs as the Jumbos took part in the first championship-distance race of their 2008 campaign. With a good chunk of their varsity squad off for the week, the race was the introduction for the Class of 2012 to the 8000 meter distance, and the two hit it off very well indeed.

Leading the way for the TUXC first years was Connor Rose, coming through in 36th place in the Sub-Varsity in 27:31, an excellent start to the 8k distance. Junior Jesse Faller ran with Connor for a good portion of the race and came through a few seconds back of him, taking the race as the tempo workout for the week. Close on the heels of these two were the 2012 duo of Phillip Grannan and Henry Frey, in 48th and 49th place, respectively, both timed at 27:49. With three frosh under the 28-minute barrier, juniors Billy Hale and Jason Hanrahan were the next Jumbos in at 28:07 and 28:08. Rounding out the top 7 in the race was sophomore Corey Melnick, continuing his breakthrough season in a fine 28:30.

Their performances were good for 7th overall out of the 20 teams competing in the Sub-V race. MIT took top honors with 41 points, Brandeis and Keene State close behind in second and third, respectively. Regional rivals Southern Maine, Coast Guard, and Amherst filled in spots four, five, and six. The solid start for the Jumbos bodes well for the rest of the fall for the men of 2012.

Next week, the team will be at the Connecticut College Invitational at Harkness Memorial State Park, the site of 2007 Regionals where Tufts placed 3rd and earned a bid to NCAAs. The rest of the varsity squad will get their first shot at 8k for the fall, matching up against a host of top D3 teams from the Northeast, as well as a handful of solid D2 and D1 squads.


Full Results