WESTFIELD, Mass.- The Endicott men's cross country team traveled to Westfield, Mass. on Saturday to compete in the James Early Invitational and accomplished a new team best with a 13th place finish in the 38 team field. The Gulls have a short week this week as they look to compete in the Saints Invitational at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass. on Friday.
Endicott was led by sophomore Zach Marshall (Hinesburg, Vt.) and freshman Austin Landry (Readfield, Maine) in the 8k race. Marshall finished 27th overall with a time of 27:14.53, just a minute and a half off the winning time. Landry, who last week finished fourth overall for the Gulls, crossed in a time of 27:25.33, obliterating his personal record.
Freshman Patrick Finocchiaro (Salem, N.H.) crossed in 54th place with a time of 27:50.79, also setting a personal best as he continues to get stronger as the season progresses. Sophomore James Dwyer (Berlin, Conn.) finished just off a personal best time as he finished the 8k course in 28:06.85 to place 65th in the 373 runner field.
Noah Mondello (Gloucester, Mass.) and Brendan Sasse (Westport, Mass.) closed out the top six for the Gulls as Mondello placed 164th in a time of 29:38.61 as Sasse crossed in a time of 29:51.49, a personal best, to finish in 179th.
INSIDE THE TIMES
- Marshall continues to lead the Gulls this season as he has now finished as the top Endicott runner in every race. Marshall's time of 27:14.53 was his third best 8k time of his career.
- Prior to the James Early Invitational, Landry's personal best 8k performance came last week at the Bowdoin Invitational with a time of 28:22.2. His time today of 27:25.33 was just shy of taking a minute off his previous best.
TOP QUOTE
"The guys did a great job today stepping up and running smart races to avoid getting caught up in the large field," said head coach Spencer Lange who continues to see his team make strides as the season progresses. "They've been working hard every day and are committed to reaching their goals. It was exciting to watch Austin's race develop. This was a big breakthrough performance for a young man whose hard work is paying off. It's great to see them continuing to improve as we had four personal bests on the day along with most others finishing just off of their personal records. We are now looking ahead to the final few weeks of the season to get ready for the CCC Championship and then NCAA Regionals."
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott travels to Boston, Mass. for a rare weekday race as they will compete at the Saints Invitational at Franklin Park. Following that, Endicott will have just over two weeks to prepare for the CCC Championships to be held on Saturday, October 31. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
