Men's Cross Country Finishes Second at NCAA East Regional; Advances to National Championship Race
Three Ravens earn All-East Region honors by finishing among the top-25 races
BOSTON, Mass. (November 10, 2013) – The Franklin Pierce University men’s cross country team turned in a spectacular performance Sunday at the NCAA East Regional Championship by placing second out of 28 teams with a score of 97 points. By finishing among the top-three teams in the region, the Ravens earned a spot in the 2013 NCAA Division II National Championship Race on Nov. 23 in Spokane, Wash.
The trip to the national championship meet comes in just the program’s second season at the varsity level after being revived prior to the 2012 campaign. It marked the second-consecutive impressive performance for the Ravens, who also placed second at the Northeast-10 Conference Championship two weeks ago in Manchester.
Three Ravens led the charge for Franklin Pierce to advance to the nationals on Sunday, and for their efforts received All-East Region honors.
Junior Antoine Gisore (Concord, N.H.) placed seventh out of 185 competitors in a time of 31:57.3, and was the highest finisher on the afternoon for the Ravens. The All-East Region accolade was Gisore’s second major honor in two weeks, as he also picked up First-Team All-NE-10 accolades by finishing among the top-10 runners at the conference race.
Freshman harrier B.J. Smith (Concord, N.H.) was the next Raven to cross the finish line, as he placed 13th with a mark of 32:23.7. The regional award was also his second in two weeks, as he too, was recognized by the NE-10 at the conference race by earning third-team accolades.
Sophomore Makopa Rugabirwa (Concord, N.H.) was the third Franklin Pierce thinclad to pick up East Region honors, as he finished 17th in a time of 32:31.3. Just like the previous two finishers, Rugabirwa was coming off a fantastic showing at the NE-10’s two weeks ago by picking up first-team honors.
The three regional awards marked the second-consecutive year at least one Raven earned All-East Region honors, as Colton Ham (Webster, N.H.) accomplished the feat last year as a rookie.
Freshman Dage Minors (Hamilton Parish, Bermuda) took 28th-place honors in a time of 32:57.9, while sophomore Isaac Fithian (Kingston, N.H.) was the fifth Raven to count towards the vital team score, as he was 32nd in a time of 33:11.7.
For more information on Franklin Pierce men’s cross country, please visit the team’s page at http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu. To follow the program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce cross country apparel can do so on the athletic department’s online store at http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)