Seahawks poised to face crowded CCC field
NEWPORT, R.I. - Salve Regina brings a mix of youth and experience to its quest for another improved showing in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship on November 1 (1 p.m.). The team's lineup this fall has included as many as five freshmen to complement the consistent efforts of the Seahawks' more experienced frontrunners.
The Seahawks will again look to junior captain Sean Hughes (Old Saybrook, Conn.) and sophomore Billy Martin (West Islip, N.Y.) to set the pace as the team takes to the 8K trail course at Gordon College. The duo will be backed up by a pair of freshmen – Dave Napierkowski (Cheshire, Conn.) and Austin Sattler (Guilford, Conn.) – who have been a part of the team's top five since the first race of the season. The team could find further scoring support from sophomore Daniel Regan (Westford, Mass.), junior captain Slater Roosa (Woodbury, Conn.) and freshman John Lutz (Ringwood, N.J.), all of whom have been contributors this fall.
The team boasts plenty of depth beyond the usual scorers, with sophomores Jay Brennan (North Haven, Conn.), Tyler Torelli (Ledyard, Conn.) and Anthony Tandy (Hopedale, Mass.) and freshmen Andrew Sardelli (Hope Valley, R.I.) and Scott Brewer (Wilbraham, Mass.) all poised to pitch in at the No. 6 or No. 7 position.
"With the level of competition in the CCC continuing to improve, we're going to need every one of our guys at their peak. We are fortunate to have a fair amount of experience in our sophomore and junior classes, so those guys know what it takes to get the job done at this level," said head coach Rob McGuinness. "We'll look to the freshmen to contribute as well, just as they have all season."
The competitive outlook looks familiar, and increasingly crowded, in the CCC field. Roger Williams, the 13-time defending conference champion, looks to have more than enough depth to earn banner No. 14. The Hawks placed all five scorers in the top 10 at the CCC meet in 2013 and appear to be positioned to do the same again this year. Roger Williams took six of the top 15 spots at the Western New England Invitational on Oct. 18, earning a convincing win against a field that included four CCC schools.
The University of New England, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Gordon College and Salve Regina will also be in the competitive mix. UNE, the 2013 runner-up, brings a typically strong scoring lineup. The Nor'Easters took three of the of the top 10 spots – and six of the top 15 – in winning the Pop Crowell Invitational at Gordon on Sept. 27. Wentworth took three of the top 10 spots, and Gordon claimed two, in that same meet.
"It will be tough to predict the team scoring from second through fifth or sixth in this meet, and it's going to be a battle for spots on the all-CCC team," McGuinness said. "It's really a credit to the quality of the teams in our conference that we'll face such a competitive field on Saturday."
Salve Regina finished third in the CCC in 2013, the best conference finish since the men's cross country program was reconstituted in 2005. The 2014 squad, which set a program record for combined five-man team time at 5 miles this season, now holds another opportunity to write a new chapter in the team's history.
"We've done some good work this season. The guys are healthy, they're ready, and they know what to expect on a very challenging course at Gordon," McGuinness said. "Now it's on us to give it our best effort." The Commonwealth Coast Conference cross country championship is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 1 at Gordon College in Wenham, Mass. The men's race will start at 1 p.m.
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Courtesy of Rob McGuinness
