Fitchburg State Competes At Alliance Meet

Men finish as top MASCAC school; women place ninth overall

WESTFIELD, MASS. (November 1, 2008) - The Fitchburg State men's and women's cross country teams returned to Stanley Park in Westfield, Massachusetts today to compete in the Alliance Championships. The Alliance Championship consist of the all the MASCAC schools and the Little East Conference schools.

The men's team turned a solid performance finishing as the top MASCAC school with a fourth place finish overall. Senior captain Phil McCormack (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) led the men's team with an 11th place finish overall, finishing with a time of 26:19 in the 8K race. McCormack was the second MASCAC runner on the day bested only by Avery Bouchard of Bridgewater State.

Sophomore Matt Spano (Gardner, Mass./Gardner) followed McCormack with 21^st place finish, totaling a time of 26:52, while junior Kyle Schaeffer (Hudson, Mass./Hudson) placed 33^rd overall with a strong time of 27:18. Senior Keon Valcourt (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) and freshman Chris Kibler (Bath, Maine/Morse) rounded out the Falcons top five finishers.

The women's team also ran strong finishing ninth overall, fourth in the MASCAC. Freshman Katelyn Page (Beverly, Mass./Beverly) led the women once again with a strong 20th place effort, finishing the 5K race with a time of 20:36. Junior Stephanie Jarvis (Hopedale, Mass./Hopedale) followed page into the shoot with a 36^th place finish and time of 21:28, while sophomore Linda Forunato (Feeding Hills, Mass./Agawam), freshman Lisa Dias (Rehoboth, Mass./Dighton-Rehoboth) and junior Kristina Gagnon (Tyngsboro, Mass./Tyngsboro) rounded out the Falcons top five runners.

The men's team will compete at the ECAC championship next Saturday in Rhode Island before both harrier teams prepare for the NCAA qualifying meet on November 15th hosted by William College.