Jumbos' second string captures fourth at ECACs

Despite sitting out its top seven runners in preparation for this weekend's NCAA New England Championship, the men's cross country team ran to an impressive fourth place finish at the ECAC Championship at Williams on Saturday.

Colby College (80), which ran its best team, finished first, followed by Williams (123), Keene St. (127), and Tufts (134). The Jumbos were not alone in competing with an eye towards this weekend, as the Purple Cows and the Owls both rested their top six runners. Vassar College (158), Connecticut College (164), Amherst College (187), Bates (206), Plattsburgh (263), and Bowdoin (269) rounded out the top ten out of 42 competing schools.

Sophomore Tim Creedon and freshman Kyle Doran ran effectively together and finished 15 and 16, respectively. Doran (27:43.5) helped lead Creedon (27:41.4) through a tight pack in the middle of the race before the sophomore jumped slightly ahead at the end. Freshman Mike Cummings sailed across the finish line four spots behind Doran with a time of 27:48.8, while freshman Hadrian Engle (28:04.9) and senior Adam Sharp (28:41.2) anchored the fourth and fifth spots for Tufts.

Though these performances were impressive considering they involved runners who do not usually get the chance to prove themselves in a varsity race, if the entire pack had run tighter towards the top, the Jumbos likely could have conquered second place.

Still, the race was doubly effective as it allowed what Coach Connie Putnam called his "second group of varsity guys" to succeed in a large varsity race while the Jumbos' top seven rested in preparation for their biggest race of the season. The Jumbos will run sophomore Nate Brigham, junior co-captain Peter Bromka, junior Ian Joseph, freshman Matt Lacey, freshman Neil Orfield, sophomore Mike Don, and junior Peter Jurczynski at the NCAA qualifiers at Westfield State at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

In the Jumbos' only previous experience at the course this season, the team finished first out of 27 teams at the James Early Invite on Oct. 19.

The top seven used the off-week to focus their training and gradually reduce their mileage. While several schools chose to run their top runners this past weekend, most coaches are of the same mind as Putnam, who believes that the extra week of training without a race is effective heading into such a vital meet. The team had a brief scare the past week when both Bromka and Joseph caught a cold bug going around, but both are recovering without difficulty, and the team has been focused and purposeful in practice.

The squad is gunning for a fifth consecutive appearance at the NCAA National Championship Race, although it will be without the services of junior co-captain Jon Rosen, who limped to a 69th place finish at the ECACs. It looked as if it Rosen was on track for a successful season, finishing in the top five on the team in the first three races he ran. However his lingering foot injury will keep him out of the qualifiers, and most likely, the National Championship race if his teammates advance that far. However, like a true captain, he still remains true to the team.

"I'm definitely disappointed for myself, but I'm so psyched for the guys," Rosen said. "I'll be jumping around cheering on Saturday."

As far as race strategy, the team found out earlier this season that focusing on one team can be a bad idea when it gunned for Williams and allowed Amherst to win at its Jumbo Invitational, and Putnam has no intentions of making the same mistake again. "We need seven guys each running a great individual race," Putnam said. "In order to catch one of those top four spots we're going to need mistake-free running."

The top four finishers in the race will advance to the NCAA National Championship Race, and the Jumbos main competition will come from Keene State, Williams, Bowdoin, Bates, MIT, and Coast Guard Academy. The squad has already beaten the latter two, and now, without keying in on any one team, the Jumbos probably need to beat Keene or one of their three NESCAC rivals _ without allowing anyone else to slip ahead of them.

If the team can manage that, a berth in the NCAA National Championship Race will elevate a fairly successful season to a highly successful one.