Fitchburg State Races Strong At Alliance Championships

Men earn sixth with 149 points; Women place 11th with 323 points

PAXTON, Mass. (October 30, 2010) –The Fitchburg State men’s and women’s cross country teams competed at the Alliance Championships this weekend, taking home a sixth place and 11th place finish respectively. The Alliance Championships combined all schools from the Little East Conference (LEC) and Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC).

The Fitchburg State men’s squad was the top finishers of the day, earning a sixth place finish with 149 points. The Falcons finished third among all MASCAC schools and had two athletes earn All-Alliance honors.

For the second straight week, senior Matt Spano (Gardner, Mass./Gardner) and junior Chris Kibler (Bath, Maine/Morse) paced the Falcons, earning All-Alliance honors with back-to-back fifth and sixth place finishes. Spano posted the second highest MASCAC finish of the day (5th) with a time of 26:40, while Kibler finished shortly thereafter with a time of 26:52.

Sophomore Mike Grasela (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) turned a strong third place performance for Fitchburg State, placing 48th overall with a time of 28:57, while freshman Chris Ross (Brookfield, Mass./Tantasqua) completed the 8K course in a time of 29:36 for 64th overall. Sophomore Will Lary (Winchendon, Mass./Murdock) earned the fifth and final scoring spot for the Falcons with a time of 30:12, while classmate Pat Lucas (Attleboro, Mass./Bishop Feehan) entered the chute shortly after with a 30:20 effort.

On the ladies side, Fitchburg State earned 11th place in the Championships, posting 323 points over the 5K race. Sophomore Emily Lane (Clinton, Conn./The Morgan School) continues to shine for the Falcons, registering the top Fitchburg State time with a 47th place finish (21:51). Junior Katie Page (Beverly, Mass./Beverly) also ran strong with a time of 22:06 (56th), while classmate Lisa Dias (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth) completed the course in 25:10.

Junior Kara Reynolds (Agawam, Mass./Pioneer Valley) and sophomore Rebecca True (Rutland, Mass./Wachusett Regional) wrapped up the top Fitchburg State women’s time with efforts of  25:18 and 28:17 respectively.

Fitchburg State will be back in action again next Saturday as it competes in the ECAC Championships next Saturday starting at 11 a.m.