Three Ravens earn All-East Region honors by finishing among the
top-25 races
RESULTS
BOSTON, Mass. (November 10,
2013) – The Franklin Pierce University men's
cross country team turned in a spectacular performance Sunday at
the NCAA East Regional Championship by placing second out of 28
teams with a score of 97 points. By finishing among the top-three
teams in the region, the Ravens earned a spot in the 2013 NCAA
Division II National Championship Race on Nov. 23 in Spokane,
Wash.
The trip to the national
championship meet comes in just the program's second season
at the varsity level after being revived prior to the 2012
campaign. It marked the second-consecutive impressive performance
for the Ravens, who also placed second at the Northeast-10
Conference Championship two weeks ago in Manchester.
Three Ravens led the charge for
Franklin Pierce to advance to the nationals on Sunday, and for
their efforts received All-East Region honors.
Junior Antoine Gisore
(Concord, N.H.) placed seventh out of 185 competitors in a
time of 31:57.3, and was the highest finisher on the afternoon for
the Ravens. The All-East Region accolade was Gisore's second
major honor in two weeks, as he also picked up First-Team All-NE-10
accolades by finishing among the top-10 runners at the conference
race.
Freshman harrier B.J. Smith
(Concord, N.H.) was the next Raven to cross the finish
line, as he placed 13th with a mark of 32:23.7. The
regional award was also his second in two weeks, as he too, was
recognized by the NE-10 at the conference race by earning
third-team accolades.
Sophomore Makopa Rugabirwa
(Concord, N.H.) was the third Franklin Pierce thinclad to
pick up East Region honors, as he finished 17th in a
time of 32:31.3. Just like the previous two finishers, Rugabirwa
was coming off a fantastic showing at the NE-10's two weeks
ago by picking up first-team honors.
The three regional awards marked
the second-consecutive year at least one Raven earned All-East
Region honors, as Colton Ham (Webster, N.H.)
accomplished the feat last year as a rookie.
Freshman Dage Minors
(Hamilton Parish, Bermuda) took 28th-place
honors in a time of 32:57.9, while sophomore Isaac Fithian
(Kingston, N.H.) was the fifth Raven to count towards the
vital team score, as he was 32nd in a time of
33:11.7.
For more information on Franklin
Pierce men's cross country, please visit the team's
page at http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu. To
follow the program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce
Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports),
Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics)
and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens).
Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce cross country apparel can
do so on the athletic department's online store at http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)
