Bryant competes in Monmouth Invitational
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Coming off a successful opening meet, the Bryant University cross country team travels to Holmdel, N.J., on Saturday, Sept. 17, for the Monmouth Invitational.
Focused on preparing themselves to succeed at the NEC Championships, the men's and women's squads will get a glimpse at the course they will run at the end of October this weekend. The 2011 conference meet will be held on the same course, allowing the runners to not only improve but prepare for the future.
In the Bryant Invitational, the Bulldogs were led by sophomore Eimear Black (Glengormley, Ireland) and senior Ryan Busby (Derry, N.H.). Both runners had career days in the first meet of the season. Black finished a career-best 13th with a time of 18:40 in the women's 5K. Running in his final season, Busby demolished his previous best 5K time by nearly two minutes, pacing the men's team with a 36th place finish.
The men's race will feature four of the top five men's teams in the preseason poll, including defending NEC champion Central Connecticut State University. The women will be running against three of the top five teams in the preseason poll. In all, eight NEC schools will compete for the team title in the 17th annual Monmouth Invitational.