Bulldogs ready for NECs on Saturday
BULLDOGS HOST NEC CHAMPIONSHIPS ON SATURDAY
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – For the first time in Bryant University history a Northeast Conference Championship will be held on campus as the Bulldogs welcome the NEC Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 27.
The Black and Gold will welcome a challenging field to their home course that covers 5,000 meter and 8,000 meters around Bulldog Stadium, Sutton Field, Conaty Park and the Turf Complex. The favorites on Saturday include seven-time reigning women's champion Quinnipiac and three-time reigning men's champion Central Connecticut.
Bryant's women's squad lead by junior Eimear Black (Glengormley, Ireland) has its sights set on a possible upset bid on its home course. Black finished second at last year's championships and appears primed to claim the first-ever title for the Bulldogs' cross country program. The Black and Gold top five also includes freshman sensation, and three-time rookie of the week, Annmarie Tuxbury (New Hartford, Conn.). Coming off an injury-plagued sophomore season, junior Martha Reynolds (London, England) has returned to top form at the right time, and freshmen classmates Staci Rezendes (Ludlow, Mass.) and Erin Svensen (Medway, Mass.) have both had outstanding rookie campaigns.
On the men's side, the Bulldogs will be lead by seniors David Hurley (Ashaway, R.I.) and Colin Gannon (Litchfield, Conn.). Hurley became the first runner in program history to gain All-NEC honors with a 14th-place finish at last year's championships. This year, he has led the Bulldogs through the tape in four of his five races with Gannon pacing the squad in the fifth. Christopher Chapruet (Danvers, Mass.), Jeffrey Dorosh (Naugatuck, Conn.) will follow the two seniors and give the Black and Gold a chance to finish higher than their projected ninth-place finish.
The women's race is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. and the men will follow at 12:00 p.m. The race begins near the Bulldog statues on the visiting side of Bulldog Stadium.
