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Men’s Cross Country Finishes Fourth at NCAA Championship East Regional

Men’s Cross Country Finishes Fourth at NCAA Championship East Regional

Three Ravens notch All-Region honors

Ham NASHUA, N.H. (November 22, 2014) – After surprising the East Region a year ago and qualifying for the final round of the NCAA Championships, the Franklin Pierce University men's cross country team was left on the outside looking in on Saturday afternoon, as it finished fourth at the NCAA Championship East Regional, co-hosted by Franklin Pierce and Merrimack at Mines Falls Park Trail. American International, which claimed the Northeast-10 Conference crown two weeks ago, captured the East Region title.

The top three teams in Saturday's 10k race advanced to the final round of the NCAA Championships, which left the Ravens as the first team out. Franklin Pierce did have three runners earn All-Region honors in Nashua, as the top-25 finishers earned the accolade. Sophomore B.J. Smith (Concord, N.H.) led the team in seventh (31:40.0), junior Colton Ham (Webster, N.H.) placed 14th (32:06.6) and senior Antoine Gisore (Concord, N.H.) finished 20th (32:20.9).

Franklin Pierce rounded out its scoring five with two more top-50 finishes in the 191-runner field. Sophomore Dage Minors (Hamilton Parish, Bermuda) placed 27th (32:34.8) and junior Makopa Rugabirwa (Concord, N.H.) finished 43rd (33:01.4). Also competing on Saturday for the Ravens were junior Isaac Fithian (Kingston, N.H.) in 67th (33:48.0) and sophomore Jon Holmes (Albany, N.Y.) in 70th (33:53.5).

Much as it did in the Northeast-10 Championship, AIC dominated the race, as three Yellow Jackets finished in the top five in Saturday's East Regional. In fact, AIC had all five of its scoring positions cross the finish line before any other team had three runners finish. It all led to a team score of 33 for the Yellow Jackets, who posted a 57-point, blowout victory over Stonehill (90 points), which finished second. Roberts Wesleyan (95) placed third, just behind Stonehill, to fill out the East Region's qualifying spots for the national championship race. Behind Franklin Pierce (110) in fourth, Adelphi (146) rounded out the top five.

American International junior Mike Biwott took home his second straight NCAA East Regional individual title (30:34.7), as he posted a victory of nearly 45 seconds over Adelphi senior Nicholas Filippazzo, who placed second (31:19.3). Assumption senior Anthony Fierimonte was third (31:27.9), in front of two more Yellow Jackets, as AIC seniors Conor Cashin (31:34.8) and Jonathan Morgan (31:35.5) finished one after the other in fourth and fifth.

The top three individuals not on a qualifying team also advance to the national championship race from the East Regional. Filippazzo, Fierimonte and LIU Post sophomore Michael Scott, who finished sixth (31:38.5), took those three spots. Again, the Ravens were left just outside, looking in, as Smith finished seventh, just 1.5 seconds behind Scott.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce cross country apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).