Falcons Roll At Division III All-New England's

Schaeffer paces Falcons with team-best 74th place finish

CUMBERLAND, Maine (November 15, 2009) - The Fitchburg State cross country team competed at the Division III All-New England Championships this past week at the University of Southern Maine. The men's team posted a 22nd place finish out of 48 teams, while the women's placed 40th overall.

Fitchburg State received solid efforts from senior Kyle Schaeffer (Hudson, Mass./Hudson) and sophomore Chris Kibler (Bath, Maine/Morse) who finished the 8K race with a blistering time of 26:59. The duo put the Falcons on the board with a 74th and 75th place finish respectively, coming within 0:00.5 of each other. Senior Tim Wood (Holden, Mass./Wachusett Regional) wrapped up a successful championship day, placing 154th overall with a time of 28:18, while freshman Patrick Lucas (Attleboro, Mass./Bishop Feehan) ran well in the big race, placing 160th with a time of 28:23.

Junior Matt Spano (Gardner, Mass./Gardner), freshman Will Lary (Winchendon, Mass./Murdock) and classmate Michael Grasela (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) rounded out the Falcons top runners, posting 171st, 184th  and 189th place finishes. Spano finished the 8K layout with a time of 28:31, while Lary totaled a time of 28:50 and Grasela notched a run of 28:55.

In the women's heat, senior Linda Fortunato (Feeding Hills, Mass./Agawam) paced the Falcons, posting the ladies' top finish (198th) with a time of 26:15, while sophomore Katelyn Page (Beverly, Mass./Beverly) grabbed a 208th place finish in 26:32. Freshman Emily Lane (Clinton, Conn./The Morgan School) hit the big race with a bang, finishing third on the Falcons squad (241st) with a time of 27:18, while senior Stephanie Jarvis (Hopedale, Mass./Hopedale) ran the 5K run in 27:34.

The Fitchburg State men's and women's cross country teams await a berth into the NCAA Championships next Friday.