BIDDEFORD, Me. - The Worcester State men's cross country team continued to show, for the second week in a row in this young season, that they are an improved team from last year with a fifth place finish at the University of New England invitational held at Rotary Park on Saturday (Sep. 10).
Four of the top five Lancer finishers improved on last year's times on the same course and several freshmen are also making significant contributions. Head Coach Al Halper commented, "The team is developing as planned so far this season. Our goal each week is to run smart as well as stronger and faster each race. The improved times from the veterans and strong start for the freshmen seems to show the commitment to this goal."
Halper also noted, "We went out strong in a large pack of our top ten runners. They stayed close throughout the race with only a couple dropping off the pace. We talked about the need for someone or two stepping up and attempting to breakaway from our pack. Besides gaining much needed places in the overall scoring with a runner or two closer to the lead pack, we want to help draw everyone else along as a group, but at a faster pace overall."
Sophomore Michael Ricci (Peabody, Mass.) did what was asked of him by running near the top for most of the race. Though fading several spots over the last mile and a half, he was aggressive early and gave his teammates someone to chase. He finished in 28:45 to finish 14th overall.
Halper commented, "Mike was our leader last year and looks to maintain that role this year. He was not happy with last week's race as he fought through a bad stitch most of the way. He came back strong this week and with a little more work on some "technical things", he has much more in him."
Freshman Richard Custodio (Wakefield, Mass.) also did a fine job finishing as the second Lancer overall in 18th place and the third best freshman in the race. "Rich has done extremely well in his first two college races and the best is yet to come for him as well," stated Halper. "As he gets more 8k training to become more comfortable with the distance, he will continue to be a factor in our success as a team."
Halper also saw solid races from sophomores Christian Vera (Worcester, Mass.), Joseph Grider (Hopedale, Mass.), and Robert Davis (Acton, Mass.), junior Devin Luce (Milford, Mass.) and senior Will Whearty (Wapole, Mass.) to round out the top seven.
"Everyone on this team is extremely motivated and dedicated this year," concluded Halper. "They work hard daily, do all the necessary things and more. Their attitude along with the talent can prove to be a very successful combination by the end of the season for everyone. It has been a fun year so far. We are working to make sure it continues."
Next Saturday, the team will travel to the UMass-Dartmouth Invitational.