The America East Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships return to Franklin Park in Boston Saturday (November 2). It marks the first time since 1995 and third time overall that the conference will run its premier meet there. The men compete on an 8,000-meter course beginning at 2:15 p.m. while the women run 5,000 meters at 3 p.m.
The conference has annually sponsored a Men’s Cross Country Championship since 1988 with the first Women’s Championship held at Maine in 1989.
Boston University has won 11 of the previous 13 women’s championships, including six-straight. Delaware (1995) and Vermont (1989) have also won women’s titles.
Defending men's champion New Hampshire has won three of the last four men's meets (1999, 1998). Boston University has won 10 of the previous 14 men’s championships with Northeastern (1988) winning the other.
Boston University junior Jochen Dieckfoss, who covered the 8K course in Orono, Maine in 24:38.2 last year, has won back-to-back individual titles. Only former Terrier Karl Rasmussen, who won four indiviudal titles, has won more. Vermont junior Michele Palmer, who covered the 5K course in Orono in 17:16.8 to finish second last year, is the top returning runner on the women's side.
Larissa Kleinmann of Boston University owns the conference record with a time of 16:40.0 at the Oregon Ridge course in Hunt Valley, Md. in 1998.
Boston University’s Karl Rasmussen, the only four-time individual cross country champion in conference history, owns the men’s record with a time of 24:14.2 at Maine in 1994.
The America East Cross Country Championships have been run at several different venues and have previously been hosted by Boston University and Northeastern (at Franklin Park), Hartford, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, among others.