Fitchburg State cross country teams poised for terrific season

Courtesy of Matt Stewart, Sentinel & Enterprise

The Fitchburg State University men's and women's cross country teams are enjoying their biggest turnout in recent history. The Falcon men have added 11 freshmen, while the women's side welcomes six newcomers.

"This is the best numbers that we've had in a long time," men's coach Jim Jellison said. "We have 26 men on the team, and that's without picking up anyone after school starts. We also have 19 women, so it's the most on both teams in a long time, which is good."

Graduation hurt the top of men's lineup, as the Falcons lost four-year star Chris Kibler, who finished second in the MASCAC championship as a senior last season. Kibler didn't go far, and is now an assistant coach on the team.

The Falcons will now look to senior Will Lary to carry the load. Lary finished ninth in the MASCAC championships last season as a junior, posting a time of 27:10 at the North Dartmouth course, which was good enough to earn All-MASCAC honors.

"Lary was consistently two or three runners behind Kibler," Jellison said. "He will most likely be our No. 1 runner. I don't like to have anyone think they have to be the No. 1 runner, because what matters most is what they do as a group of five to seven. If they are interchangeable, that's great."

The Falcons also return their third, fourth and fifth highest placing runners from the MASCAC championship. Sophomore Brandon Davis (Fitchburg High) finished the championship meet at 27:31, sophomore Eric Ouellette 

(Oakmont Regional) was the fourth best Falcon at the meet (27:57) and senior Mike Grasela rounded out the scoring (28:29). Jim Quinlan is looking to make an impact as a sophomore, while Tim Allen is a strong incoming freshman who should find himself in the top of the pack.

"Will Lary has already moved up big time," Jellison said. "Grasela, Davis, Ouellette and Quinlan, any of them could be our top runner on any given day. Lary is probably ahead of everybody right now, and Eric Ouellette is close behind."

It's tough to judge how newcomers are going to pan out, but Jellison seems pretty confident that he has strong group of top runners and some capable freshmen who might be able to garner some headlines on the course.

"We're really strong up front," Jellison said. "We have 12 or so decent runners and the remaining 14 or so have some decent potential. We have a lot of young kids, with 11 freshmen, and you can't beat that. There are a couple of freshmen who will be in the top seven or eight."

The women's team

Jamie Aubuchon, a Leominster High graduate, takes over head coaching responsibilities for the women's cross country program after spending nine years as an assistant coach.

"I'm only the second coach in women's history," Aubuchon said. "Jim (Jellison) started the program 35 years ago, and single-handedly built this program, and I have big shoes to fill. We're off to a great start. Jim's given me the autonomy the last four years as the de facto head coach, but I just didn't have the title."

Not only is this year's women's cross country team the largest in the last 16 years, but it is also likely the deepest team in terms of talent that the Falcons have ever had.

"Last year our team average (for the top five runners on the team) for the season was 21:48 for the 5K," Aubuchon said. "This year I think we're going to have seven women under that mark. Last year our top runner ran 21-flat. I think this year we're going to have seven or eight runners under that."

Jenae Harrison, who was last year's top runner before being sidelined by injury, returns as one of the top runners on the team along with two junior newcomers, Sam Wilkinson and Alyson Moreau, who have not participated in the sport in a while.

Braila Roy was a key component of last year's team and will likely be in the top five. Graduate student Linda Fortunato returns to the team after a brief hiatus, and is currently running as the team's top runner. Senior Chenice Branquinho is a notable senior who figures to be near the top of the pack.

"We've got a really strong team this year," Aubuchon said. "I'm extremely excited. The only thing I have to do is keep the team healthy. That's how good the team is going to be this year."

A pair of freshmen -- Gardner High grad Erica Mallozzi and North Middlesex alumna Elizabeth Ward -- are pushing hard to break into the top seven.

The MASCAC coaches' poll ranked the Fitchburg State men third out of eight teams, while the women were picked fourth. Both teams begin the season Saturday at Keene State.