Eastern Conn. Men – 12th / 33 Teams
Eastern Conn. Women – 18th / 30 Teams
DARTMOUTH, Mass. – With few exceptions, the faces were mostly different, but the results were very similar from 2019 when the Eastern Connecticut State University cross country teams participated in the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Cross Country Invitational Saturday.
Despite losing six runners each from the 2019 invitational, the Eastern men and women nearly matched their results this year from that meet two years ago (the 2020 event was cancelled).
Despite returning only seniors
Ryan Escoda (Newtown) and
Jorich Swift (Mansfield) from the 2019 race, the men matched exactly their 12
th-place finish this year. The women, returning only junior
Keara Fontaine (North Kingstown, RI) from two years ago, placed 18
th this year following the 2019 finish of 16
th.
Eighteenth overall as a sophomore in 2019, Escoda again led Eastern by placing 20
th overall among 256 runners with a time of 25:08 over five miles – 46 seconds better than 2019. The team's No. 5 runner (114
th overall) in 2019 with a time of 28:30, Swift followed Escoda with an overall place of 52
nd in a time of 26:09 – 2:21 better than two years ago. Sophomore
Jake Haddad (Vernon) was 102
nd overall (26:53), with first-year runner
Noah Linton (Tolland), a recent addition to the team, 108
th overall (27:01), and sophomore
Thomas Stone (Glastonbury) 118
th (27:23).
Junior
Kelsey Zator (Scotland) and senior
Maggie Santacroce (Bristol) -- who competed in the UMD jayvee race in 2019, led the women's team Saturday. Zator was the team's top runner for the second straight race this year, placing 79
th overall (20:09) over 5,000 meters, with Santacroce 112
th (20:35). Two of the team's remaining scoring runners are in their first seasons and bookended sophomore
Elisabeth Rodil (Milford, NH): Alison LeClerc (Wolcott) was the Warriors No. 3 runner, 122
nd overall (20:50), with Rodil 125
th (20:55) and
Iris Bazinet (Pomfret) 130
th (21:03).
Eastern competes at the CCRI Tri-State Invitational Oct. 2 at 10 a.m.
