Fitchburg State Opens 2011 Season At Keene State

Men place fourth with 133 points; Women finish fifth with 159 points

KEENE, N.H. (September 3, 2011) – The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s cross country teams opened the 2011 season this afternoon as the two squads competed at the Keene State Alumni Invitational hosted by Keene State College.

The men garnered the top Falcon finish of the day, placing fourth overall with 133 points. Senior Chris Kibler (Bath, Maine/Morse) led Fitchburg State, finishing ninth overall with a blistering time of 16:10. Freshman Eric Ouellette (Ashburnham, Mass./Oakmont) was also strong in his Falcon debut, posting a 27th place showing with a time of 17:12, while junior Will Lary (Winchendon, Mass./Murdock) followed Ouellette into the shoot with a time of 17:15.

Freshman Brandon Davis (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) cracked the Fitchburg State top five as well, earning 34th overall with a time of 17:37, while junior Mike Grasela (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) and freshman Jim Quinlan (N. Andover, Mass./N. Andover) capped the Falcons top men’s runners with time of 17:51 and 17:58 respectively.

The Fitchburg State women’s team also fared well, placing fifth overall with a 159 points over the two mile course. Junior Emily Lane (Clinton, Conn./The Morgan School) was the ladies top finisher of the afternoon with a time of 13:53 (39th), while freshman Jenae Harrison (Peabody, Mass./Washington) had an impressive debut for the Falcons with a time of 13:57 (43rd).

Senior Katie Page (Beverly, Mass./Beverly) turned in a time of 14:23, good for 53rd place, while first year runners Braila Roy (Hyannis, Mass./Barnstable), Chenice Branquinho (E. Freetown, Mass./Old Colony) and Suzanne Williams (Rutland, Mass./Wachusett) notched times of 15:09, 15:19 and 15:42 respectively.

Both teams will be back in action next Friday as they host the Jim Sheehan Memorial at Coggshall Park starting at 4 p.m.