Fitchburg State Sets Pace at Keene State Invitational

McCormack leads men to second place finish; Jarvis earns top finish for Falcons

KEENE, N.H. (October 4, 2008) - The Fitchburg State men's and women's cross country team participated in the Keene State Invitational this afternoon on the campus of Keene State College. The men's team recorded its second consecutive second place finish in the 5K race, while women notched a sixth place finish in the 3K heat.

Senior captain Phil McCormack (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) paced the Fitchburg State men's team with a 5^th place finish and a time of 27:08. With his strong showing, McCormack wedged between the nationally ranked Keene State College top five runners. Sophomore Matt Spano (Gardner, Mass./Gardner) was also solid in the autumn run with his second top ten finish, earning 9^th place with a time of 27:35. Junior Kyle Schaeffer (Hudson, Mass./Hudson), senior Keon Valcourt (Brockton, Mass./Brockton), and senior Adam Parslow (West Boylston, Mass./West Boylston) rounded out the Falcons top five finishers.

Junior Stephanie Jarvis (Hopedale, Mass./Hopedale) led the Fitchburg State charge in the women's heat, finishing 22^nd with a total time of 21:40. Freshman Katelyn Page (Beverly, Mass./Beverly) ran strong for the Falcons, posting a 24^th place finish with a time of 21:46, while senior captain Emily Sullivan (Billerica, Mass./Billerica) posted a time of 23:32.

Fitchburg State will be in action again next Saturday as it participates in the All New England Meet at Franklin Park.