The University of New Hampshire has been chosen to win the America East Men’s Cross Country Championship, according to a vote of the conference’s coaches. The Wildcats received four first-place votes (coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team) and 60 points. University of Maine also garnered three first-place votes and finished a close second with 52 points. Complete Poll
University at Albany (50 points) received one first-place vote and was third, followed by Stony Brook University (44), UMBC (41) and Boston University (34). Binghamton University (21), University of Vermont (17), and University of Hartford (8) rounded out the nine-team poll.
The Wildcats finished second as a team at the 2004 America East Championship, claiming six of the top 20 finishers. Senior Andrew Lawson placed 16th at last season’s title meet and is the top returner for head coach Jim Boulanger.
Maine, the defending conference champion, returns with the hope of repeating in 2005. Five Black Bears finished in the top-10 at the championship a season ago and two of those student-athletes return in sophomore Kirby Davis (ninth) and junior Donald Drake (10th).
Albany will look to Robbie Freeman to lead the pack this season after his sixth-place finish last season. Senior Ricardo Estremera will also be a top runner for the Great Danes after finishing 18th last season at the league’s title event.
Stony Brook will be led by Shaun Krawitz, the 15th-place finisher at the 2004 America East Championship. The Seawolves finished third overall last season, but have since graduated all-conference runner Dale Summerville.
UMBC returns 11 letterwinners from last season and anticipates a team with plenty of depth. Senior captains Izudin Mehmedovic and Shawn Shokryboth are coming off solid seasons last year and are expected to be the Retrievers’ top finishers.
Boston University finished sixth last season and is expected to repeat that performance in 2005. The team will be led by senior captains Mike Fisher and Phil Putis. Others to watch are junior Phil Shaw, sophomore Jake LaRoe and junior Dan Sieckiewicz.
Binghamton will have a young squad this season with five of its 10 runners being freshmen. The top returning runner on the men’s team is senior Prahlad Genung.
Vermont finished eighth last season and will be led by senior Brad Allen and junior Sean Steinhagen. The Catamounts will also look to freshman Ben Fletcher to emerge as solid contributor.
Hartford will be led by sophomores Dennis Roche and Mike Tiroletto this season.
All nine America East cross country teams will be in action at the 2005 America East Championship October 29 on the campus of Binghamton University.
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Copyright America East Conference, 2005-06.
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