2011 TUXC Preview

(7/27/2011 8:25 AM)

2011 TUXC looks to take a strong step forward from last fall's 8th place finish at the New England Championships. The pieces are in place to do exactly that as the squad returns the bulk of their team from last year. Notable losses to graduation include Chris Brunnquell (All Region 2009), Jeff Ragazzini (52nd at 2010 NE Regional), and Andrew Bellet (44th at ECACs). However, the team does return 6 of the top 7, 11 of the top 14, and 18 of the top 21. Needless to say, it will still take a strong summer and a resilient focus to make waves in such a competitive New England region.

For the second straight year, the team looks to be led by the "Fire and Ice," juniors Kyle Marks and Matt Rand. Marks, who finished 13th at the NE Championships last fall, went on to finish 64th overall at the 2010 XC National Championships and was the 4th New England finisher at the meet. Meanwhile, Rand built on his XC season to earn his first All American honors in the spring when he finished 6th in the 10k at the 2011 Outdoor NCAA Championships.

Other returners from last fall's top seven include sophomores Ben Wallis and Liam Cassidy and junior Tyler Andrews. All three had incredibly successful rookie years for the Jumbos. Wallis qualified provisionally for the NCAA Championships with his 9:23 in the 3,000m steeplechase last spring, while Cassidy was the DIII New England Champion in the outdoor 5k with his 14:57. Andrews added an All NEICAAA 10k performance to his 39th place finish at the XC regional championships.

Not to be overlooked in the least will be senior co-captain Scott McArthur, senior Connor Rose, and junior Sam Haney. McArthur was All-NESCAC in the 5k last spring with his PR of 15:02. Rose and Haney earned All-ECAC honors in the fall finishing 13th and 12th respectively and both went on to qualify for the indoor National Championships. Rose was 10th overall after running 1:52 to qualify, while Haney anchored the DMR team with a 4:10 leg. Additionally, no one will be surprised to see the likes of Brian McLaughlin, Andrew Shapero, Sam Goodwin, Luke Maher, Benji Hansen, or Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot work their way into the fray as well.

With such strength returning to uniform, it could be difficult for a rookie racer to battle his way onto a championship squad. But not out of the question. Notable additions include transfer Darryl Varney (North Andover, MA) from Notre Dame as well as numerous members of the Class of 2015. Evan Cover (Traverse City, MI), Sam Garfield (Holland, PA), Colin McCrory (Southbury, CT), Marshall Pagano (Niskayuna, NY), and Joe Poupard (Northbrook, IL) bring in some noteworthy high school performances; however, there are always "diamonds in the rough" that shine at the 8k distance and under collegiate training.

When asked about the upcoming season, Coach Barron took the time to highlight the region as a whole. "This could be one of the deepest years in recent memory for New England. MIT, Williams, Bates, Bowdoin, Middlebury, Brandeis, Conn College, Wesleyan, and I