Jesse Faller Earns Second All-American Honor

(11/22/2008) Full Results

Jesse Faller kicked past 10 other runners in the final mile at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships to earn his second All-America honor in as many years. Faller finished the five-mile course in an impressive 24:59.89, just .88 seconds ahead of the next finisher.

The Hanover College XC course proved to be a very spectator friendly course as fans were able to see the runners in no less than 10 separate spots. You could probably see the athletes in 20 or more spots if you were willing to run around in 30 degree weather in nothing more than shorts and body paint (see "The Crazies" at http://gojumbos.com/traditions/ ). On the other hand, compared to the many pure, honest XC courses of New England, Hanover's course was a much flatter, grass 'track' that allowed the field to maintain its pace over the 5 mile race.

Fueled by the 36 teammates that made the 18 hour trek from Medford to Hanover, Jesse got out well and maintained his position in the 40's over the course of the entire race. The race was still considerably packed up until the would-be winner Peter Kosgei (Hamilton College) surged ahead at the 1/2 way point. From this point on, the race began to string out slightly as the athletes rounded the water tower.

Throughout the fourth mile, Faller would lose a few precious spots and fall to a low of 48th as he headed into the final mile. In standard fashion, Jesse's strength in the final mile would be a savior. He would move bast 14 competitors in the final 1+ mile to get as high as 34th place. Jimmy O'Brien (Ohio Norther) would use his 800m National Champion speed to kick past Jesse and three others in the final stretch, but Faller would hold off an onslaught of charging runners for the final All American spot.

All in all, it was a very successful meet for the New England region. With Williams and Trinity both placing in the top 10 teams and the NESCAC Conference having 7 All Americans and 10 in the top 45. It should be a great battle at the 2009 NESCAC Championships with 5 returning All Americans in this year's junior class.

Congrats Jesse! Go Jumbos!


Full Results