Blue Devils Place Fourth at New England Championships Saturday
Norstrom and Trainor were the first Blue Devils in on Saturday in a field of 180 runners.
The Central Connecticut men's cross country team finished fourth with a score of 166 out of a field of 26 others schools competing at the 105th Annual New England Cross Country Championships and the 14th men's and women's combined New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association (NEIAAA) Championship held at Franklin Park in Boston, MA on Saturday, Oct. 7.
Two Blue Devil juniors, Alex Norstrom and Austin Trainor paced the CCSU cross country crew finishing one after the other in 15th and 16th place respectively. Norstrom turned in a time of 25:39.9 and Trainor completed the 8K course in 25:40.1. Central Connecticut averaged a course time of 26.01 on Saturday afternoon.
Following the duo was four-year veteran Ryan Hertzog in 29th place who came in at 25:59.1. Rookie Jonathan Gill had an excellent showing in 41st place with a time of 27:29.9. Sophomore Roberto Piotto was next in for Central at the 26:14.1 mark, good for a 44th placing. Classmate Richard Grudzwick followed Piotto in 62nd place with a time of 26:36.2.
Rounding out the Blue Devil runners on a successful showing against some of New England's top competition was sophomore Julio Arredondo who ended at 27:59.9. Stonehill won the 2017 NEIAAA Championship with a total score of 119.
The men's cross country team will next host the CCSU Mini Meet on Friday, Oct. 20 at Stanley Quarter Park in New Britain, CT. The men's junior varsity race will kick off the meet at 3:00 p.m. followed by the varsity at 3:30 p.m.
Coming up for the Blue Devils on Saturday, Oct. 28, Central will welcome league opponents to Stanley Quarter as host of the 2017 Northeast Conference Championships. Further championship info will be released at a later date.