WNEC Invitational @ 10/14/06

Men:  Team finished 3rd of 10

Women:  No Team Score
 

The Worcester State Cross Country ran the WNEC Invitational on the school’s scenic campus course as the final tune-up race going into next week’s MASCAC Championships.  The results were encouraging for both the men’s and the women’s squads.  For the men, the team finished third with some strong competitive performances and several runners “stepping up” this week.  As has been the case all season, Worcester State’s local “one-two punch” of sophomore Rob Lind( Doherty HS- Worcester) and Adam Malek( Burncoat HS-Worcester) ran with the leaders and finished among the top five in the race. Lind, hampered somewhat by a leg problem, still finished a strong third overall with Malek just steps behind, only four seconds back, to finish fourth.  In addition, Malek, who has been battling to overtake WPI’s Paul Freitas on several occasions this fall, was able to better him this time out. Freitas finished in sixth place overall. Sophomore Chris Mancuso continues to be a consistent factor for the Lancers finishing 19th overall and third for the team. Following Macuso was sophomore Andrew Rossi, another local runner(Shrewsbury, MA), who struggled somewhat on the winding trails, but still finished a strong fourth on the team in 27th place overall. To round out State’s top five, the Lancer contingent of freshman Matt Tolozcko(Templeton, MA), Freshman Joe Bourdelais(Marlboro, MA), and sophomore Derrick Willand(Leicester, MA) decided this week to “step it up” bringing the number five man closer to the top four. Still young and unexperienced, these three attacked the early parts of the course and ran well in their desire to contribute to the team’s scoring position. Matt Toloczko won this intersquad effort finishing 44th overall in his best time of the season despite the generally slower times due to the winding trails on the course. Bourdelais also ran close to his best while Willand paid the price for an overly aggressive first three miles. Rounding out the team’s performance was freshman Norman Everett who continues to work hard toward improvement. 

Women: No Team Score

For the women, only four competed in this race in preparation for next week as others sat this one out.   Those who did compete, however, ran well for the most part.  Senior captain Jenelle Cunningham finished 22nd overall ran a solid race coming on strong for the second week in a row.  As the team approaches the MASCAC meet, her improvement is certainly timely. Freshman Megan Tuite was able to record one her best races of the season to finish as the second Lancer this week in 43rd place overall. Newcomer, sophomore Jillian Parzych(53rd overall) continues to gain experience in the sport she has just begun this fall. Running another strong race this week, Jill will certainly contribute to the team’s efforts at the conference meet. Freshman Kara Antrim, however was unable to overcome feeling ill during the race and struggled despite her strong efforts in previous weeks. For her, next week will become a comeback week. With the MASCAC conference meet up next, both teams feel ready to run well when it counts most.