BENNINGTON, Vt. – With seven of the eight possible first-place votes, the Southern Vermont College men's cross country team was chosen to once again hoist the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) championship trophy based on the 2015 preseason coaches poll.
With seven runners in the top 10 of the 2014 title meet, the Mountaineers easily captured the program's first league championship last November. Third year head coach Kathleen Newton looks to bring the cup back to Bennington as she returns a solid core of that team including sophomore Marc Brandmeyer (Bennington, Vt.), the 2014 NECC Runner and Rookie of the Year.
"The men are focused and working hard on a repeat Conference win," commented Newton, who was selected by her league peers as the 2014 NECC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year. "There's not much of a difference this year; we had a loss of three men, but the returners are really stepping up. The biggest challenges for both teams are to remain healthy while challenging themselves during practice and competition and to always have mental focus and toughness. We want to make hard work their passion."
Senior captain Cameron Michael Curtiss (Milton, Vt.) also comes back to run for Newton, helping to lead the team on and off the course; he finished 10th last year at the Conference meet to grab a placement on the All-NECC Second Team. Additional returnees include junior Justin Ferguson (Broadalbin, N.Y.), who crossed the line third at the 2014 title race, and eighth-place finishing junior Corey Barcomb (Burlington, Vt.). Fellow junior Aden Fischer (Arlington, Vt.) will also don the Mountaineer uniform again this fall after making big improvements during SVC's spring track & field season.
Southern Vermont begins its 2015 campaign on September 5 with its annual Mountaineer Invitational, a tough 5,000 meter race along the SVC campus hills that is sure to test the team out of the chute. The team will also compete in the Castleton Invitational (Sept. 12), the Purple Valley Classic hosted by Williams College at Mount Greylock Regional High School (Sept. 26), and the Western New England University Golden Bear Invitational (Oct. 17) as it prepares for postseason action.
The NECC title race is slated for October 31 at Stanley Park in Westfield, Mass., a meet that will be hosted by Southern Vermont. SVC then heads back to Mount Greylock for the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Championship on November 7 before taking to Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Conn. for the NCAA Division III Regional Qualifier on November 14.
2015 NECC Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Southern Vermont - 59 (7)
2. Lesley – 50
3. Regis – 46
4. Elms – 44
5. Mitchell – 34 (1)
6. Newbury – 24
7. Wheelock – 16
8. Daniel Webster – 11
(Parentheses denote first place votes)