Fitchburg State Shines At NCAA DIII NE Regionals

Ouellette and Gaffney pace Falcons at NCAA Division III New England Regional Championships

WATERFORD, Conn. – The Fitchburg State men's and women's cross country teams were in action this afternoon, competing at the 2015 NCAA DIII NE Regional Cross Country Championship Meet, hosted by Connecticut College at Harkness State Park.

The men placed 15th out of 58 competing team with a total of 565 points, while the women finished 44th overall with a score of 1,242 points.

For the women, sophomore Nicole Gaffney was the top finisher for the Falcons with a time of 24:31 over the 6K course, while classmate Casey Taylor turned a time of 25:21. Senior Jessica Mangan followed with time of 26:30, while junior Kelly McCarthy posted a solid time of 26:46.

Sophomore Shawna Ryan was also solid, notching a time of 26:17, while junior Sadie Zbikowski and sophomore Bridget Diggins rounded out the top seven finisher for the Green and Gold with times of 27:18 and 27:59.

On the men's side, senior Eric Ouellette led the way for the men, placing 44th overall with a time of 25:48, while sophomore Brian Amaral crossed the line in 97th place with time of 26:27. Classmate Jake Hastings posted a time of 26:42 with a 106th place effort, while newcomer Anthony Darrigo followed with time of 27:31.

Freshman Joseph Darrigo turned in a time of 27:39, while senior Timothy Allen and sophomore Liam Eble closed out the top seven efforts for the men with times of 27:46 and 28:55 respectively on the afternoon.

Fitchburg State men's cross country head coach Jim Jellison said "the guys ran great and we are going to miss (Eric) and (Tim) as they graduate after four outstanding years.

The race marked the end of the season for both the Fitchburg State men's and women's cross country teams for the 2015 season with excitement for next season.