Men's Cross Country Wins NEC Crown, Ireland Takes Individual Honors
November 1, 2024
The Central Connecticut State men's cross country team had five of the top-six finishers, including individual champion Jake Ireland, and won the Northeast Conference Championships on Friday at Stanley Quarter Park in New Britain, CT. The Blue Devils claimed their second straight title and 12th overall, while Ireland became the eighth different CCSU runner to win an individual NEC crown.
Team Score: 1st of 9 | Full Results
Location: Stanley Quarter Park | New Britain, CT
Course Length: 8,000m
NOTABLE
- Ireland paced the field of 79 runners, finishing the course in 25:34.20.
- Brendan Mellitt placed second in 25:37.70, while James Sullivan (25:52.20) placed third.
- Mark Rodriguez was fourth in 25:59.30.
- Aidan Budge placed sixth in 26:10.00.
- Chris Abbey (26:27.40) and Michael Kraszewski (26:36.30) finished ninth and 10th, respectively.
- Ryan McCauley ran in 26:41.50 and placed 13th.
- Salvatore Masciarelli (27:14.50), Eddie Nicholas (28:05.00), Joseph Lauria (28:47.30) and Israel Caro (32:57.10) rounded out the CCSU runners.
RACE NOTES
- CCSU won topped the team standings with 16 points, narrowly missing matching its total of 15 in 2014.
- Central won the team championship from 2009-2017.
- Kraszewski was named the Freshman of the Year, as he was the first rookie to cross the finish line.
- Ireland joined Sullivan (2023) and Nicholas (2021) as Blue Devils on the current roster to have won individual NEC Championships.
- Wagner was second with 51 points, followed by Stonehill (78), Le Moyne (138) and LIU (152)
UP NEXT
- The Blue Devils run at the NCAA Regionals on Friday, Nov. 15, at Hopkinton, NH.
