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Smithfield, RI— Junior Colby Delbene (Pawling, NY/Pawling) crossed the line first in a course record-time 25:03 to lead Central Connecticut to its fourth straight NEC Men’s Cross Country Championship team title with 72 points.

Delbene paced a field of 137 competitors to take home NEC Outstanding Performer honors. This is the third straight season a Blue Devil has won the award.

Mount St. Mary’s Thomas Gruschow (Carlisle, PA/Trinity), a sophomore, was the runner-up, placing second with a time of 25:08 and junior Christopher Connelly (Medford, NY/Patchogue-Medford) of Sacred Heart was third in 25:11. Monmouth’s Khari Bowen (Monroe, NJ/Monroe Township) was fourth in 25:18 and Quinnipiac’s Richard Klauber (Thomaston, CT/La Salle) rounded out the top-five, running to a time of 25:20.

Following the Blue Devils in the second spot was Monmouth with 78 points, just edging out third-place Quinnipiac (79). Sacred Heart was fourth (109), St. Francis (NY) was fifth (127), and Mount St.  Mary’s was sixth (146). Wagner took seventh (165), while Robert Morris and Saint Francis (PA) tied for eighth place with 229 points. Bryant (242) and Fairleigh Dickinson (264) round out the 11-team field.  

Freshman Darrel Gooding (Somerset NJ/Franklin Hills) of Fairleigh Dickinson is the NEC Freshman of the Year after finishing in seventh place with a time of 25:23.

Central Connecticut had two other runners earn NEC-All Conference nods, including Brian Biekert, who placed placed ninth in 25:37, and Andrew Hill, who was 11th in 25:41. Wagner’s Dan Zaccariello was seventh (25:23) while Brendan Copley of Quinnipiac was eighth in 25:31. Christopher Swisko of Mount St. Mary’s was 10th in 25:40, while Sacred Heart’s Sean Ferguson finished in 13th. Monmouth’s Domenick D’Agostino and Graham Huggins-Filozof join Bowen on the NEC All-Conference Squad after placing 12th and 14th, respectively.

2012 Men’s Cross Country All-Conference Team

     2 Gruschow, Thomas          SO Mount St. Mary's        5:03.4   25:08.16    2  
     3 Connelly, Christopher     JR Sacred Heart            5:04.1   25:11.32    3  
     4 Bowen, Khari              SO Monmouth                5:05.6   25:18.76    4  
     5 Klauber, Richard          SR Quinnipiac              5:06.0   25:20.96    5  
     6 Zaccariello, Daniel       JR Wagner                  5:06.2   25:21.72    6  
     7 Gooding, Darrel           FR Fairleigh Dickinson     5:06.5   25:23.33    7  
     8 Copley, Brendan           FR Quinnipiac              5:08.2   25:31.84    8  
     9 Biekert, Brian            SO Central Connecticut     5:09.4   25:37.70    9  
    10 Swisko, Christopher       SR Mount St. Mary's        5:09.9   25:40.25   10  
    11 Hill, Andrew              JR Central Connecticut     5:10.2   25:41.58   11  
    12 D'Agostino, Domenick      FR Monmouth                5:11.6   25:48.53   12  
    13 Ferguson, Sean            FR Sacred Heart            5:12.8   25:54.88   13  
    14 Huggins-Filozof, Graham   FR Monmouth                5:13.3   25:57.23   14