KEENE, N.H. –  The plan of the Eastern Connecticut State University women's cross country team was to run as a pack in the hopes of challenging for its third Little East Conference championship in six years.
 
They did run as a pack and did challenge, but fell 15 points shy of dethroning defending champion and host Keene State College at the 35^th LEC Women's Cross Country Championships over 5,000 meters on the KSC campus. Since winning its second LEC title in three years, Eastern has finished second the last three years – once to Plymouth State University and the last two years to Keene.
 
Coming off last year's third place finish, the Eastern men knew that in light of losing three of last year's top six runners, that things would have to fall their way to challenge 2022 champion Plymouth State University. With senior co-captain Thomas Stone (Glastonbury) unable to compete in this year's championship due to injury, and junior co-captain Dylan McGuire (Preston) – last year's top Eastern finisher in the championship and a second-team All-LEC honoree – injuring himself during the race – things did not go according to plan as the Warriors fell to fifth place in the eight-team field.
 
For the second straight year, individual winner Michael Olson helped Plymouth run away from the field to claim the team title. After winning by 43 points over Massachusetts Dartmouth last year, the Panthers won by 30 points this year over the University of Southern Maine, which had captured five straight titles prior to 2022. Plymouth took three of the top four individual spots this year.
 
 
Women tighten the gap with Keene
 
This year, Eastern was able to cut three points off Keene's winning margin from a year ago, but it was not enough to stop the Owls from winning the title for the 20^th time in the last 23 years.
 
In a field of 70 finishers, both Eastern and Keene placed their top three runners within the Top Ten, but the Owls' top three recorded 15 points as compared to 23 from the Warriors' top three.  
 
By finishing among the first 14, three Eastern runners were accorded All-LEC recognition, all repeating those honors from a year ago: sophomore Meghan Georgescu (Cheshire) was fourth overall and was named first-team All-LEC, with junior co-captain Alison LeClerc (Wolcott) and graduate student Keara Fontaine (North Kingstown) running to second-team honors with finishes of 9^th and 10th, respectively. Georgescu was a second-teamer last year at No. 14, as was Fontaine at No. 8, while LeClerc was sixth overall a year ago as Eastern's top finisher en route to first-team honors.
 
Georgescu's 19:19 was just three seconds shy of Rose Karow of Plymouth State for third place, but Rhode Island College sophomore Haley Oliver (18:32) ran away from senior runner-up Margaret St. John (19:04) as the only runner to break 19 minutes. Although its runner won the individual title, RIC placed seventh among seven full teams.
 
Behind Georgescu, LeClerc (19:48) and Fontaine (20:03), senior co-captain Elisabeth Rodil (Milford, NH) scored 17 points with a time of 20:42 and first-year runner Ella Campion (Somers) scored 21 points (21:23). Rodil repeated as the team's No. 4 runner from a year ago, when she was 13th overall and named All-LEC.
 
Rounding out Eastern's seven-person effort were junior Julia Berthiaume (Portland) and sophomore Kayla LaMalfa (Portland). Berthiaume (21:39) was 26^th overall and LaMalfa (23:44) 49^th.
 
 
Up 22 places, Haddad leads men with All-LEC performance
 
 
Twenty-ninth overall in a time of 28:13 as a junior last year, senior Jake Haddad (Vernon) topped the Warriors  by placing seventh overall among 91 finishers in a time of 26:47 and earned the final first-team All-LEC position.
 
Senior Michael Parzych (Berlin), the Warriors No. 4 runner at the championship a year ago, scored 22 points this time (27:50) as the team's No. 2 runner, with sophomore transfer Digby Ludlow (Preston) scoring 27 points (28:14). Rounding out the team's five scoring runners were junior Liam Stafford (Alexandria, VA) and first-year runner Zachary D'Andrea (Wallingford). Stafford added 31 points (28:49) and D'Andrea 32 (29:11).
 
Also competing among the men's large contingent of 11 runners were junior Ryan Djurkovic (Riverside), sophomore Jake Thompson (Portland), McGuire, sophomores Charles Coccoli (Redding) and Josh Maddox (Broad Brook), and first-year runner Ian Vasquez (Watertown). Djurkovic was 46^th overall (29:20), Thompson 47^th (29:28), McGuire 48^th (29:30), Coccoli 63^rd (30:33), Maddox 73^rd (31:21) and Vasquez 78^th (31:48).
 
Eastern closes out the season at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Championships Nov. 11 at Stanley Park in Westfield, MA.
 
2023 Little East Conference
Women's Cross Country Championships
October 28
at Keene State College
 
TEAM RESULTS
 
1 Keene State College 48; 2. EASTERN CONN. 61; 3. Massachusetts Dartmouth 90; 4. Plymouth State U. 91; 5. U. of Southern Maine 107; 6. Massachusetts Boston 139; 7. Rhode Island College 161.
 
EASTERN'S FINISHERS
70 Total Finishers
Run over 5,000 meters
 
4. (4) Meghan Georgescu 19:19; 9. (9) Alison LeClerc 19:48; 10. (10) Keara Fontaine 20:03; 18. (17) Elisabeth Rodil 20:42; 23. (21) Ella Campion 21:23; 26. (24) Julia Berthiaume 21:39; 49. (40) Kayla LaMalfa 23:44.
 
 
2023 Little East Conference
Men's Cross Country Championships
October 28
at Keene State College
 
TEAM RESULTS
 
1 Plymouth State U. 34; 2. U. of Southern Maine 64; 3. Massachusetts Dartmouth 66; 4. Keene State College 113;
5. EASTERN CONN. 119; 6. Rhode Island College 181; 7. Castleton U. 194; Massachusetts Boston 213.
 
EASTERN'S FINISHERS
91 Total Finishers
Run over 5,000 meters
 
7. (7) Jake Haddad 26:47; 24. (22) Michael Parzych 27:50; 33. (27) Digby Ludlow 28:14; 42. (31) Liam Stafford 28:49; 44. (32) Zach D'Andrea 29:11; 46. (34) Ryan Djurkovic 29:20; 47. (35) Jake Thompson 29:28; 48. Dylan McGuire 29:30; 63. Charles Coccoli 30:33; 73. Josh Maddox 31:21; 78. Ian Vasquez 31:48.