Trinity Men's X-Country Runs In NCAA Regionals Saturday, Seeks Third Straight National Bid
Hartford, Conn., Nov. 12 - The Trinity College men's cross country team, coached by 2008 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) George Suitor (17th Season), will once again be a top contender in the NCAA Division III New England Championships on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Williams College. The top two teams in the New England Championship Meet will receive automatic bids to the Nationals and the remaining at-large selections will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 11. The Bantams were ranked No. 2 in New England and No. 15 in the nation in last week's United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III Polls, after coming in second place in the NESCAC Championships two weekends ago.
The Bantams are vying to return to the NCAA Division III National Championships for the third year in a row and fourth time since 2000 with an impressive finish on Saturday. Trinity finished third in 2006 and fourth last fall in the New England Regional Meet and earned at-large invitations to the NCAA Division III Nationals both times. 2008 Trinity College senior co-captain Hunter Norte (Ellington, Conn.) won the 2006 regional race by over 10 seconds at 25:37, but the team finished 31st and Norte came in 160th at the Nationals. Plagued by injuries late last fall, Norte has enjoyed a fine senior season and looks to challenge for his second individual title, along with fellow senior co-captain and 2007 All-New England honoree Sam Moorhead (Dedham, Mass.).
Moorhead finished sixth at New Englands last fall with a time of 25:08 and has a career-best time of 24:53, while Norte boasts a career-best time of 24:40. Norte, Moorhead, sophomore Brendan Powers (Middleton, Mass.), and freshman Michael Burnstein (Brookline, Mass.) have each earned top-five finishes in races this fall. Norte and Burnstein tied for the Trinity Invitational title and finished fourth in the James Early Invitational at Westfield State, the Saratoga Invitational, and the NESCAC Championships. Moorhead, who has missed time with injuries this season, placed third in the James Early Invitational and Powers came in fifth place in the Trinity Invitational. Powers has a career-best time of 25:35 and Burnstein has a career-best time of 25:33.
Junior Ryan Lane (Weston, Conn.), sophomores Wesley Halstead (Woodbridge, Conn.) and Steve Garner (Yarmouthport, Mass.) and freshmen Wilson McGrail (Wayland, Mass.), and Matt Eremita (South Windsor, Conn.) and have all made contributions this fall, boasting season-best times of 26:15, 25:42, 26:16, 26:38, and 26:34, respectively. Garner paced Trinity in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division II) Championship Meet in Rhode Island last Saturday with a 16th-place time of 27:05.
