Davis sets personal best in GNAC Championships
DORCHESTER, Mass. - The 17th running of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Cross Country Championship took place at the nationally renowned Franklin Park course on Saturday, October 29th. Johnson & Wales University captured both the men's and women's team championships, marking the second consecutive year that the Wildcats have claimed both titles.
Emerson College and Emmanuel College played co-hosts to the 2011 Championship, which was held in the Boston area for the first time. Poor weather in the days preceding the meet caused for a few slight course modifications for the safety of the student-athletes. The fourteen GNAC member institutions made the easy race-day adjustments and the two meets went off without a hitch.
On the men's side, the perennial powerhouse Wildcats cruised to their 4th-straight and 7th overall GNAC team championship. The first four runners to cross the finish line represented Johnson & Wales and the Wildcats placed their first five in the top-ten for a 20 point team total. Norwich University finished in second place with 55 points, while Emerson College snagged 3rd place with 80 points.
JWU junior Jeff Hartman (Osseo, Minn.) was named the 2011 GNAC Runner of the Year after pacing the field of 100 male runners with his 8k time of 26:31. Sophomore Brian Dinan (Geneva, N.Y.) captured 2nd place with a time of 27:03. Junior Greg Redfield, who was the 2009 GNAC individual champion, crossed the line just three seconds after Dinan to lock up 3rd place. JWU senior Nathan Smith (Jamesberg, N.J.) nabbed 4th place with a time of 27:10.
Fifth place went to Norwich freshman Nate Deer (Kodiak, Alaska), who earned GNAC Rookie of the Year honors with his time of 27:59. Also earning GNAC All-Conference honors with their top-ten finishes were Emmanuel's Stephen Armstrong (Revere, Mass.), Norwich's Frank Fox (Birdsboro, Pa.), Emerson's Kyle Oppenheimer (Kingston, N.H.), Norwich's David Rosenthal (Pasadena, Md.) and JWU's David Tores (Ann Arbor, Mich.).
Sophomore Alec Davis (Amherst, NH) was the top finisher for Rivier. He clocked in at a personal best 30:28. Classmate Geoff O'Brien (East Bridgewater, MA) was a few ticks behind him as he crossed the line at 35:13. Senior Corey Oliveiro (Londonderry, NH) finished the race with a time of 42:19. Senior Ryan Cox (Hudson, NH) achieved a personal goal as he finished just inside of 45 minutes at 44:59.
Johnson & Wales University Head Coach Thomas Spann was voted the 2011 GNAC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year.
