Seahawks set for CCC championship meet

NEWPORT, R.I. – The Salve Regina men's cross country team just two years removed from not having enough runners to score in the Commonwealth Coast Conference championship meet has its eyes on a conference championship this season.

Last year, with a full scoring contingent on the starting line, the team finished fourth – its best performance since the program was reconstituted in 2005. 

This year the team is aiming higher. 

With sophomore Sean Hughes (Old Saybrook, Conn.) and freshman Billy Martin (West Islip, N.Y.) leading the way, the Seahawks have made steady progress this season, posting some of the fastest five-man 5K and 8K combined team times in school history.  They're looking for another program-best in the CCC meet this weekend. 

Roger Williams University, the 12-time defending conference champion, is the heavy favorite for another repeat victory. The University of New England, the runner-up in 2012, has a likely hold on second place. But Salve Regina beat Gordon College at the UNE Invitational in September, and has had success against other CCC opponents in invitational meets this season.   

The Seahawks will look to freshmen Tyler Torelli (Ledyard, Conn.), Anthony Tandy (Hopedale, Mass.), and sophomore Slater Roosa (Woodbury, Conn.) to carry the rest of the scoring load. Freshmen Daniel Regan (Westford, Mass.) and Jay Brennan (North Haven, Conn.) and senior James Weselcouch (East Haddam, Conn.) could also factor into the team total.

"We've made a lot of improvement this season, and the team is so much more competitive than it has been in recent years," said head coach Dave Kraszewski. "If our top guys keep working together, there is no limit to what they can accomplish." 

The men race at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Rotary Park in Biddeford, Maine.