Men's XC Wins at SFU; Craig Hunt First Overall
All five scoring runners for the Blue Devils placed in the top 10.
The Central Connecticut men's cross country team won the Father Bede Invitational hosted by Saint Francis U. on Saturday. All five scoring runners for the Blue Devils finished in the top 10 of the race with senior Craig Hunt leading the pack, claiming an overall win with his time of 26.43.
The Blue Devils competed on the course that will also be the site for the 2013 Northeast Conference Championships and placed the top seven runners in the top 15 of 94 competitors.
Hunt placed first overall, followed closely by junior Brian Biekert (27:00) in third and senior Colby Delbene (27:08) in fifth. Junior Patrick Hubbell crossed the finish line seventh overall with his time of 27:30, completing the race just before senior Andrew Hill who crossed eighth in 27:31.
Sophomores Tyler Raymond (28:05) and Andy Pullaro (28:08) finished just behind the top five scorers for Central in 13th and 14th place, respectively.
Also competing in the race were freshmen Derek French, who placed 33rd with his time of 29:02, and Thomas Lupoli, who crossed the line with a time of 29:09, good for 27th.
Central demonstrated an impressive showing among the nine teams, including seven conference foes. The Blue Devils registered just 24 team points to win the race, followed by Robert Morris (92), Saint Francis U. (115), Wagner (127) and Juniata (134). Bryant and Mount St. Mary's tied for sixth, each registering 156 points and were followed by Sacred Heart (171) in eighth and Fairleigh Dickinson (232) in ninth.
The Blue Devils will return to action on Oct. 12 at the New England Championships in Boston, MA followed by their second home meet of the season, the CCSU Mini Meet, on Oct. 25. The Blue Devils will return to Saint Francis U. for the NEC Championships on Nov. 2 to defend their conference title.