CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—On Saturday, October 30, all 18 America East cross country teams, nine men’s and nine women’s, will gather in Boston for the America East Championship meet, hosted by Boston University at Franklin Park. The men’s 8,000-meter race will begin at 2:30 p.m. The women’s 5,000-meter race will begin at 3:15 p.m. An awards ceremony will be held after the completion of both races.
Prior to the season, the America East coaches voted each of last year’s team champions as the favorite to win again in 2010. For the men, the Binghamton University Bearcats topped the poll and now are in search of their second America East cross country championship. On the women’s side, the Stony Brook University Seawolves were voted first for the third straight year. Stony Brook has a chance to win its fourth consecutive women’s title.
In the men’s race, defending champion Binghamton looks to repeat last year’s championship performance. In that race, three Bearcat runners finished in the top five and four finished in the top 10. The Bearcat men also paced America East squads in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Northeast regional poll all season. In the most recent regional poll, the Bearcats checked in at No. 9. However, a pair of America East foes, the University at Albany and Boston University, are close at the Bearcats’ heels, coming in at No. 10 and No. 11, respectively.
Individually, Binghamton senior Erik van Ingen (Marathon, N.Y./Marathon (Canisius)) looks to defend his 2009 individual championship. To do that, van Ingen will have to defeat some stiff competition. In addition to van Ingen, five of last year’s top 10 finishers are running in this year’s field, including Binghamton’s Chris Gaube (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal), Casey Quaglia (Bangor, Maine/Bangor) and Jeff Martinez (Binghamton, N.Y./Johnson City), Boston U.’s Eric Ashe (Hanson, Mass./Whitman-Hanson) and Stony Brook’s Tim Hodge (Tawa, New Zealand/Victoria University). Hodge finished sixth in 2009 after winning the individual title in 2008.
Other runners to keep an eye on in the men’s race are Maine juniors Riley Masters (Bangor, Maine/Bangor) and David Currier (Sidney, Maine/Messalonskee) and Albany sophomores Paul Lagno (Salt Point, N.Y./Millbrook) and Alex Leuchanka (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa). Each of the four garnered America East Performer of the Week honors during the 2010 season. Masters won the Boston College Invitational, held at Franklin Park, on September 11. The junior won the race, defeating runners from nine teams, including five America East squads. Currier paced the Black Bears as he finished first in a dual meet against New Hampshire on September 24. Lagno and Leuchanka finished third and sixth, respectively, at the Boston College Invitational. Lagno won the 44th Annual UAlbany Invitational on October 16. Leuchanka finished second in that race and also paced the Great Danes with a ninth-place finish at Iona’s Meet of Champions on September 18. Boston U.’s Eric Ashe also took a Performer of the Week honor for finishing second at the New England Championship meet at Franklin Park on October 9.