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20 Years In The Making! Mount Takes Home First NEC Men's XC Crown Since 1998

10/27/2018


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Smithfield, RI -- Mount St. Mary’s brought the 2018 NEC Men’s Cross Country Championship title back home to Emmitsburg for the first time since 1998 with five runners placing in the top-18 to total 44 points.

In doing so, the Mount ended Central Connecticut's stranglehold on the title. The Blue Devils had won nine straight NEC championships, the longest streak in NEC history in any sport.

After garnering four of the seven NEC Rookie of the Week awards over the 2018 season, Wagner freshman Trausti Thorstein (Reykjavík, Iceland/Universal School) found extra gas in the tank over the final mile to win the individual championship in 25:45.6. Thorstein became the first freshman to win both the NEC Outstanding Performer and NEC Rookie of the Year awards since Rogers Kipruto from LIU Brooklyn  did it in 2009. 

After taking eighth at last year’s championship, Mount senior Nicolas Fransham (Sandia, TX/North Harford) led his team to victory with a second place finish, just two seconds off the pace in 25:47.6. Three runners from the Mount followed shortly thereafter with Will Merritt (Smithsburg, MD/Smithsburg) (26:07.2), Isaac Kole (Carlisle, PA) (26:11.9) and Benjamin Finnigan (Dover, NH/St. Thomas) (26:22.5) placing 7 through 9, respectively. Mitchel Wileczek (West Deptford, NJ/West Deptford) was the fifth Mount harrier to cross the finish line at 18th overall. 

Saint Francis U posted 59 points to edge out Wagner by one point for second place. The Red Flash were led by Griffin Molino’s (South Williamsport, PA/South Williamsport) bronze medal performance. Molino cloked in at 25:53.5.
 
Following its dominant run, CCSU placed fourth with senior Alex Norstrom (Coventry, CT/Coventry) taking fourth individually (25:57.5) for his fourth consecutive top-10 finish.

Bryant landed in fifth and Sacred Heart in sixth. St. Francis Brooklyn and Fairleigh Dickinson rounded out the standings in seventh and eighth, respectively.          
 
2018 Men's Cross Country All-Conference Team 
 
53249
 
NEC Outstanding Performer: Trausti Thorstein, WC
NEC Freshman of the Year: Trausti Thorstein, WC