The men's cross-country team won two major titles this season, including the New England Championships, becoming the first-ever Division II or Division III team to win the title in the race's 94-year history.
The New England Championships pit Division I, II and III teams against one another. UML raced to victory with only 31 seconds separating its top five runners. The team was led by sophomore Ruben Sanca who finished the race in fifth place with a time of 24:51. The River Hawks defeated the likes of Boston College, Harvard University and Yale University to win the title. According to the Yale Daily News, the Ivy League team was "no match" for UMass Lowell.
"We were hoping to finish in the top four or five and hadn’t really thought about actually winning," says Coach Gary Gardner. "In order to win, you need to be good and lucky and we were both. The chances of having all five guys who are competing run their best all on the same day are slim. It happened to us and we were able to win."
 |
| Members of UML's winning men's cross-country team include, from left, Steve O'Brien, Joey DeWitt, Rex Radloff, Jason Beausoleil, Jeremiah Karanja, Steve Plouffe, Josh Vance and Jason O'Connell. |
After their New England victory, the team then went on to finish first in the Northeast 10 Conference Championship race. This recent win gives the River Hawks their second major title in as many meets this season.
Next up for the team is the NCAA Championships in Florida on November 18. This time, the runners have a new goal in sight. "Our goal for that race is to finish in the top eight," says Gardner.
Printer Friendly
