Champions! Cross Country Takes Home First CCC Title
Leopards end Roger Williams' 14-year run atop the CCC; Dan McSolla, Patrick Hopkins, and Alex Robbins repeat with All-CCC honors while head coach Matt Moyen takes home coach of the year honors
BRISTOL, R.I. – Paced by a trio of top five finishers, the Wentworth Institute of Technology cross country team – in just its second year of varsity competition – ended Roger Williams' 14-year run as Commonwealth Coast Conference champions as the Leopards took home the 2015 CCC title Saturday afternoon at Colt State Park.
Wentworth, which finished second a season ago, scored 47 points, besting the Hawks' 67 points while the University of New England placed third with 80 points.
Sophomore Dan McSolla (Bridgewater, Mass.) was the first member of the Leopards to cross the finish line as he concluded the eight-kilometer course second overall with a time of 26:24.47. Gordon sophomore Damon Kilgore (Londonderry, N.H.) was the initial runner to cross the finish line, placing first out of 117 participants with a time of 25:49.44 and earning CCC Runner of the Year in the process.
Wentworth sophomore Patrick Hopkins (Lansdale, Pa.) placed third overall, clocking a time of 26:25.17, while classmate Alex Robbins (Mansfield, Mass.) placed fourth with a time of 26:27.83. McSolla, Hopkins, and Robbins each earned All-CCC honors for their top 10 finish; a feat all three also achieved as freshmen.
Freshman Jonah Eisman (New York, N.Y.) recorded a top-20 finish, concluding the course 16th overall with a time of 27:52.08 and senior Kyle Schwartz's (South Windsor, Conn.) 23rd-place (28:09.70) finish completed Wentworth's top five runners.
Junior David Ouelette (Wells, Maine) finished 23rd with a time of 28:13.60, freshman Josh Gangemi (Norton, Mass.) finished 26th, clocking a time of 28:24.84, sophomore Clay Harman (Broad Brook, Conn.) finished 44th (28:55.69), sophomore Zach Howey (Pitman, N.J.) placed 54th (29:17.34), freshman Chris Kaberle (Pelham, N.H.) crossed the finish line 60th overall, clocking a time of 29:33.75, while freshman Nathan Ouelette (Wells, Maine) placed 65th overall with a time of 29:52.70.
In addition to the Leopards claiming the team title and three runners earning all-conference recognition, second-year head coach Matt Moyen was named the 2015 CCC Coach of the Year.
Wentworth wraps ups its 2015 campaign on Saturday, November 14 when they travel to the NCAA New England Regional, which will be hosted by Connecticut College at Harkness Memorial State Park. The meet is scheduled to commence at 11:00 a.m.