Mike LeDuc '14 placed 7th at the NESCAC championship meet this weekend
In Division III men’s cross-country, the top two teams at each regional meet are awarded a chance to compete at the national championships, with an additional two, possibly three, at-large bids given to the regions with the strongest teams. This year, the New England region is clearly one of the strongest in the country. Last season, the Connecticut College men’s cross country team placed 12th at the New England regional championship meet. The Camels may have been well away from a finish worthy of nationals; however, this season, the team has a chance to make a serious run for a national championship bid. After losing only one runner to graduation, the Camel men are poised to improve upon last year’s finish.
While departed senior Shawn Mulcahy was an integral member of the Camel’s success last year, head coach Jim Butler has brought in a deep class of freshmen who are more than capable of filling the hole in the roster. Top runners co-captain Doug Wright ‘12, Mike LeDuc ‘14, Andrew Duarte ‘13 and Tim Murtagh ’13 have been joined by freshmen standouts including Alex Mavrovic and Patrick Dermody.
Last season, Wright captured all-NESCAC honors and secured a 56th place finish at the New England Regional meet. LeDuc, who won rookie of the year accolades in the NESCAC, finished just three places behind Wright at regionals (59th), despite losing his shoe early in the race after being stepped on by an opposing runner. With the help of impressive finishes by Duarte, co-captain Brenner Green ’12 and Colin Gallant ’12, the Camels secured the 12th spot in New England, landing them three positions higher than the previous season.
As of October 17, there are eight NESCAC men’s cross country teams ranked in the top ten in New England. The Camel runners find themselves just ahead of Amherst and Wesleyan. Middlebury sits atop the standings, followed by MIT, while NESCAC rivals Bates, Williams, Tufts and Bowdoin are at three, four, five and six, respectively.
The Camel men have been working hard to put themselves in a position to stun their NESCAC foes and the rest of New England, and earn a combined top four finish at regionals. Tracking the team thus far, their combined individual times have yet to turn heads in New England. The team knows, however, exactly what they are capable of, and with the New England regional meet a short two weeks away, the Camels have high hopes for a stellar finish to the season.
“We know we have a lot of potential up front, and we definitely have yet to show it,” said Murtagh ’13. “We have the talent to get to nationals, we just have yet to put it all together at one race.”
Murtagh certainly isn’t joking around. Individually, Mike LeDuc placed seventh at NESCACs this past weekend, less than a minute behind the first place finisher. Alex Mavrovic had a breakout performance, coming in at the 29th spot in the field. Murtagh had an impressive day as well, finishing three spots behind Mavrovic at number 32. Unfortunately, Wright and Duarte were unable perform at the high level they are capable of. The team’s sixth place finish overall at the meet may not have been exactly what the Camels were hoping for, however, the strong performances by Mavrovic and Murtagh are a great sign for New Englands. If the Camels starting five runners can hit there best times or better, the team’s combined score could propel them to the national level.
The field at the New England regional meet will be as strong as it has ever been. Middlebury (7), Bates (9), Tufts, Williams and Bowdoin are all nationally ranked teams. Not to mention MIT, which currently sits at number 12 in the country.
Fortunately, the meet will be held November 12 at Bowdoin, a course that favors our Camel runners. “We are excited that regionals will be held at Bowdoin,” said Murtagh. “Their course is very similar to our home track at Harkness Memorial Park; it really favors our runner’s across the board.”
Coach Butler reminds the camels almost daily of the 2002 cross country team, which finished fourth at NESCACs and New England regionals, earning them a bid to nationals. Just like their coach, the team knows that a chance to run at the national championships is a realistic goal. With just two weeks before the race, the Connecticut College men’s cross-country team is ready to make a statement nationally. It won’t be an easy task, but the team is confident they can reach their full potential and complete the goal they set out for themselves at the beginning of the season. •
