Waterford, Conn. – The Southern Vermont College men's cross country team placed second at the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Championship Saturday at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Conn.
The Mountaineers finished 27 points than in the 2011 conference championship. The second-place finish is the best result for the men's program in NECC history.
Lesley University took first place with six out of the top seven placers coming from the Linx squad. Junior Max Bulger (Falmouth, Maine) crossed the line first with a time of 27:51.
Southern Vermont was led by freshman Joshua Ceasar (Bardstown, Ky.) who finished fourth with a time of 28:34. That placing is the best-ever for an SVC harrier in NECC championships, and it is the best conference finish since Dan Dix won the 2001 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship. With fourth place, Ceasar earned a spot on the All-NECC First Team.
Sophomore captain Victor Velazquez (Los Angeles, Calif.) got himself on the All-NECC Second Team with a 10th-place finish, coming in at 31:16.
The flat water-side course proved to be mentally difficult for the Mountaineers who have become accustomed to those with more hills. Head coach Maria Stuber stated that, "Ironically, our team was challenged by the lack of hills. We rarely see anything so flat; I think everyone was surprised by how difficult it is to stay focused without much change in terrain."
Sophomore Hesbon Ogeka (Windom, Minn.) was not far behind Velazquez, finishing in 12th place with a time of 32:07. Freshman Cameron Curtiss (Milton, Vt.) and Kenneth Poteat (Yonkers, N.Y.) rounded out the top-five, with Curtiss coming in 19th at 33:55 and Poteat just a second behind. Curtiss's finish helped secure the team's second-place result, as he picked up over 10 places in the last two miles.
"On paper, we were definitely the underdogs going into the weekend," said Stuber. "I tried not to over-hype the outcome goals and kept the team focused on the things we had control over, like learning the course, nailing down paces, race strategies and technique weaknesses. I got perfect races out of every one of my men today."
Select members of the team will compete in the NCAA Regional Championship at Westfield State University in Westfield, Mass. on November 12.
Individual Results
Team Results
Women's Story/Results
Men's Runner of the Year
Max Bulger, Lesley
Men's Rookie of the Year
Nick Green, Lesley
Men's Coach of the Year
Dan Flynn, Lesley
Men's Team Sportsmanship
Elms College
Men's All-Conference First Team
Max Bulger, Lesley
Andy Scott, Lesley
Nick Green, Lesley
Joshua Ceasar, Southern Vermont
Evan Reseka, Lesley
Men's All-Conference Second Team
Chris Conforti, Lesley
Ian Barber, Lesley
Spencer Daniel, Mitchell
Andrew Castagna, Mitchell
Victor Velazquez, Southern Vermont