The Massachusetts cross country teams competed this weekend at separate venues. On Friday, the Minutewomen took fourth place place out of seven teams at the Rothenberg Race in Warwick, R.I., hosted by Brown. The Minutemen traveled to Fayetteville, Ark. for the Chili Pepper Festival, and finished in eighth place out of 50 teams among some of the country’s best competition.
Crossing the finish line first for the Minutemen were senior twins Kevin and David Johnson. In a field of 470 runners, Kevin took a 50th place finish with a time of 30 minutes, 54.91 seconds, while David took 53rd place in a time of 30:57.23.
Following the Johnson’s were seniors Andrew Mulvaney and Scott VanderMolen. Mulvaney took 60th place in a time of 31:05.30, while VanderMolen took 114th in 31:52.85.
Rounding out the top five for the Minutemen was another senior, Daniel Barry, taking 121st with a time of 31:58.73.
The meet included some of the top programs in the country. No. 2 Oklahoma State took first place, No. 7 Indiana took second and No. 6 Arkansas took third. Rounding out the top five for the meet was Adams State and Texas A&M.
Senior Kevin Johnson thought the race went “pretty well” and that the team felt fairly good about their performance.
Johnson said the team is “pretty pumped up” for the upcoming Atlantic 10 Championships. The team will pick up the intensity and have faster workouts leading up to the race.
Johnson said he thinks Richmond will be a heavy favorite leading up to the race, as it will be bringing back a few talented fifth-year seniors.
Johnson also mentioned that senior Daniel Barry turned an ankle during the race.
The top finisher for the Minutewomen at the Rothenberg Race was sophomore Courtney Baldwin, taking 19th place out of 92 runners in 18:29.9. Senior Gina Perno came in right behind Baldwin in a time of 18:30.2., taking a 21st place finish.
Senior Elizabeth Fisk took third for the Minutewomen, and finished 26th overall with a time of 18.34.6. Freshmen Mary Cole (42nd place) and Sarah Barrett (46th) rounded out the top five for the Minutewomen, with times of 19.03.4 and 19:09.4.
Brown took first place, with four of its runners finishing in the top five. Boston College took second with six runners in the top 25. Fellow A-10 competitor Rhode Island took third. Harvard, Connecticut and Bryant took fifth, sixth and seventh place finishes respectively.
The Minutewomen were coming off of an 11th place finish out of 47 at the New England Championships, where Baldwin led the way, while the Minutemen were coming off of a 30th place finish of 47 at the same meet at Franklin Park in Boston.
Both teams will have the next week off before competing in the A-10 Championships at Schenly Park in Pittsburgh, PA.
In last year’s tournament the Minutemen left with a second place finish while the Minutewomen took third place.
Eric Mansfield can be reached at [email protected]
