Trinity Men's Cross Country Ranked No. 15 In Pre-Season National Poll
Hartford, Conn., Sept. 3, 2008 - The Trinity College men's cross country team, coached by George Suitor, is ranked No. 15 in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III National Pre-Season Poll and the No. 3 in the USTFCCCA New England Division III Regional Poll. Trinity finished in fourth place in the 2007 NCAA Division III Regional Championships and qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championships for the second year in a row. The Bantams, who came in 29th place at the NCAA National Meet in Minnesota last November, open the season with the Trinity Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Wickham Park in Manchester.
Trinity senior co-captains Sam Moorhead (Dedham, Mass.) and Hunter Norte (Ellington, Conn.) lead an outstanding group of harriers in 2008, capable of contending for NESCAC, New England, and national titles. Moorhead finished fourth in the league meet and sixth at the New England Championships, while Norte won both the NESCAC and the New England Division III individual titles in 2006. Norte battled through an injury-plagued 2007 campaign, but both enjoyed solid track seasons and will lead the squad this fall as co-captains.
Sophomores Wesley Halstead (Woodbridge, Conn.) and Brendan Powers (Middleton, Mass.) were solid starters as rookies last fall and will be counted on for even better sophomore seasons, while junior Ryan Lane (Weston, Conn.) has been a contributor in their first two season.. The sophomore class is particularly deep, as Blake Fisher (Naperville, Ill.) and four others performed well under the radar and look to crack the top seven in 2008. Freshman prospect Mike Burnstein (Brookline, Mass.) is the most likely to produce right away in a solid class of outstanding rookies.
