MIT Men Capture 17th-straight NEWMAC Cross Country Title
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - MIT placed nine runners in the top 14 of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Men's Cross Country Championship Saturday morning, earning the program's 17th-straight team title.
The league's 17th annual cross country championship was hosted by Smith College in Northampton, Mass.
The Engineers and head coach Halston Taylor totaled a perfect 15 team points to claim this year's league crown. MIT swept the NEWMAC Championship for just the second time in program history, also accomplishing the feat in 1998. WPI was second (58 pts.), Coast Guard third (79), Wheaton (Mass.) fourth (137), Babson College fifth (144), Springfield College sixth (146), Clark University seventh (184) and Emerson College eighth (260).
MIT junior Spencer Wenck (Monument, Colo./Palmer Ridge) earned the event's individual title and 2014 NEWMAC Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year honors after posting a winning time of 25:13. MIT first-year Colin Godwin (Cary, N.C./Cary Academy) took second (25:19), earning 2014 NEWMAC Rookie of the Year accolades in the process.
MIT senior Benji Xie (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge) finished third with a time of 25:27, followed by MIT sophomore Rory Beyer (San Mateo, Calif./Aragon) in fourth (25:35). MIT senior Allen Leung (Arcadia, Calif./Arcadia) was fifth (25:37), MIT sophomore Matt Deyo (Syracuse, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) (25:49) was sixth while MIT senior Matt Jordan (Matthews, N.C./North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics) claimed seventh (25:53).
WPI sophomore Austin Scott (Waddington, NY/Madrid-Waddington) finished eighth (26:01), followed by Coast Guard sophomore Zachary Velasquez (Chula Vista, Calif.) (26:08) and Coast Guard senior Jonathan Lash (Gainesville, Va.) (26:09).
Rounding out the top-14 was WPI senior Ryan Moran (Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke) (26:19), MIT first-year Copper Sloan (Sunnyvale, Calif./Homestead) (26:32), WPI first-year Justin Trott (North Hampton, NH/Winnacunnet) (26:35) and MIT first-year Nicholas Waltman (Lexington, Ky./Sayre) (26:38).
The top-14 finishers in Saturday's eight-kilometer championship race receive All-NEWMAC recognition.
NEWMAC schools will next participate in the 2014 NCAA® Cross Country New England Regional on Saturday, Nov 15. The New England Regional will be held at Mount Greylock High School in Williamstown, Mass.
The 2014 NCAA® Championship is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 22 at the Golf Center at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. The national championship is being hosted by Wilmington College and the Warren County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Courtesy of the Smith College Sports Information Department.