LINCOLN, R.I. – The Worcester State University men's cross country team came in 3^rd place of 10 teams at this Saturday's Tri-State Invitational, hosted by the Community College of Rhode Island. Salve Regina came through with the team win, while Nichols' Joseph Santese earned the individual title.

THE BASICS
September 30, 2017
CCRI Invitational
Flanagan Campus

TEAM SCORES
1^st Place: Salve Regina (58)
2^nd Place: Emmanuel (78)
3^rd Place: Worcester State (86)
4^th Place: Nichols (94)
5^th Place: Johnson & Wales (123)
6^th Place: Wheelock (172)
7^th Place: Newbury (202)
8^th Place: Mount Ida (207)
9^th Place: Framingham State (209)
10^th Place: Mitchell (246)

WORCESTER STATE TOP-7
12^th Place: Christian Vera (29:10)
14^th Place: Marques Johnson (29:40)
15^th Place: Richard Custodio (29:47)
24^th Place: John Shugrue (30:37)
29^th Place: Patrick Scheeler (30:58)
34^th Place: Jeffr Davis (31:58)
36^th Place: Zack Lajeunesse (32:02)

RECAP

Nichols' Joseph Santese won the 8K race in a time of 28:08, while two Emmanuel runners followed in the 2^nd and 3^rd places with times of 28:11 and 28:29, respectively. Despite two Emmanuel runners in the top-3, Salve Regina secured the win as all of their runners that scored finished in the top-20 for the win. Emmanuel took second place, while Worcester State followed with 86 points for third.

The Lancers were led by Christian Vera (Worcester, Mass.) who crossed the finish line in a time of 29:10 – good for 12^th place. Teammates Marques Johnson (West Hartford, Conn.) and Richard Custodio (Wakefield, Mass.) followed at the 14^th and 15^th spots, respectively. Worcester State's John Shugrue (Worcester, Mass.) and Patrick Scheeler (Wakefield, Mass.) gave the Lancers an 86 team total to earn a third place team finish.

COACHES CORNER

"This week the team concentrated on getting healthy," mentioned head coach Al Halper.  "Everyone coming off a few difficult weeks worked on getting in a week of consistency in their training.  The team made significant progress this week toward that goal. While we still sat out a number of runners this week, those who ran stepped up and ran well. Despite competing without four of the top seven, the guys still finished third just shy of the top two places."

"Christian Vera led the Team as the top Lancer of the day with another solid performance," said Halper.  "Marques Johnson had one of his best collegiate races and a breakthrough race for the season. Richard Custodio came of the injured list with an impressive performance, particularly over the final two miles.  The surprise of the day came from freshman John Shugrue who also had a breakthrough race with his best collegiate race to date and a significant time improvement. Rounding out the top five was Captain Pat Scheeler who fought hard throughout his race."

"With the number of guys not running, those who ran today took the opportunity to step up and shine," expressed Halper.  "I was extremely happy with the performances today and the improvement and effort shown by these guys.  Their efforts today will play a role in their success for the rest of the season."

UP NEXT
Next Saturday the Lancers travel to Westfield, Mass. to take part in the James Early Invitational.

GET SOCIAL
Follow Worcester State Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube