NEW BRITIAN, CONN. - The Monmouth University cross country teams competed in the Central Connecticut State Invitational this afternoon at Stanley Quarter Park, the site the Northeast Conference Championship in October. The men's squad finished third of nine schools with 70 points lead by Ben Hutterer (Saxonburg, Pa./Knoch) posting a time of 26:33, good for fourth place overall. The women's team finished fourth of ten team tallying 134 points, paced by Jennifer Nelson's (Perth Amboy, N.J./Barnegat H.S. [Ocean County College]) seventh place finish with a time of 18:14.
Providence College earned 30 points to win the men's race followed by Sacred Heart with 62. Monmouth was trailed by meet host CCSU (78 points), Mount St. Mary's (146 points), Quinnipiac (184 points), Holy Cross (185 points), Bryant (187 points) and Southern Connecticut (195 points).
"It was great to get some of our top men into their first meet," said head coach Joe Compagni. "Today was a strong start for them."
Hutterer's time of 26:33 is good for third all time in school history on the 5.1 mile course. Billy Dowd (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) finished in ninth place with a time of 26:55, good for eighth all time in program history. Todd Apgar (Somers, N.Y./Somers) and Dan Collura (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) both crossed the finish line in 27:09 finishing in 16th and 17th place, respectively. Sophomore David Berger (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East) completed the race 23 second later in 27:23 at 24th place while Sean Hartnett (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) earned 25th finishing with a time of 27:28.
Providence came in first place in the women's race with 25 points followed by NEC foe Quinnipiac with 52 points. University of Connecticut placed ahead of the Hawks with 88 points in third while Sacred Heart (147 points), Mount St. Mary's (179 points), CCSU (192 points), Bryant (206 points), Southern Connecticut (213 points) and Holy Cross (263 points) rounded out the ten team field.
"Jen had a great race up front for our women," said Compgani. "We have a strong pack that should provide us with excellent depth all season."
Nelson's time of 18:14 places the Perth Amboy native second in school history on the 5K (3.1 mile) course. Sophomore Kelsey Maher (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) was the next Hawk to cross the tape in 26th place at 19:02. Juliet Smith (Freedom, Pa. /Freedom Area) finished 24 seconds later at 19:26, in 31st place. Senior Christine Altland (Hazlet, N.J. /Raritan) finished 34th posting a time of 19:35 followed by a duo of freshmen in Marissa Felicetti (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bride) in 36th place at 19:36 and Lucia Montefusco (Levittown, N.Y./MacArthur) two seconds later in 42nd place. Amanda Eller (Delmont, N.J./Millville) finished the day with a time of 20:03 finishing in 52nd place to round out the Hawks' top seven.
"The men and the women have a lot to work on but they have done a nice job so far," added Compagni.
The Hawks return to action next week as they host Fan Appreciation Day at Holmdel Park in Holmdel, N.J. in the 16th Annual Monmouth Invitational, beginning at 10 a.m.
