Martin leads Seahawks at UMass Dartmouth
NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Salve Regina senior Billy Martin (West Islip, N.Y.) ran the second-fastest 8K of his career to lead the Seahawks in the UMass Dartmouth Invitational on Saturday. Martin crossed the finish line at 27:16.89, running in the No. 1 spot for the second consecutive meet.
With the leaders setting a blazing pace in the opening mile, Martin split 5:16 as he worked his way into the top half of the field. When the race settled and he began to cruise at around 5:30 per mile, Martin moved well inside the top 100 among the field of 242.
Juniors Scott Brewer (Wilbraham, Mass.), Andrew Sardelli (Hope Valley, R.I.) and David Napierkowski (Cheshire, Conn.) spent much of the race in a pack, working together to advance through the field. The trio split 5:23 in the opening mile. In the closing miles, Brewer separated from the group to claim the No. 2 spot, finishing at 28:02.29. Sardelli crossed the finish line at 28:39.74, while Napierkowski finished at 28:54.62.
Freshman Brett Jutras (East Bridgewater, Mass.) rounded out the scoring five, finishing his first collegiate 8K at 28:56.29. Freshman Riley Rancourt (Bristol, R.I.) and senior Kevin Onofreo (Middlefield, Conn.) ran at No. 6 and No. 7, finishing at 29:21.04 and 30:52.09.
The invitational field of 33 teams included several programs with regional rankings. American International College, ranked No. 2 in the East Region of the USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Regional Cross Country Rankings, won the team title with a score of 52. Connecticut College, ranked No. 9 in the New England Region in the Division III poll, finished second with 60 points, and Stonehill College, ranked No. 1 in the East Region of Division II, was third with 99.
Junior Mitchell Byrne of AIC won the individual title with a time of 24:50.51.
The Seahawks finished 21st overall. The team's five-man combined time for 8K, 2:21:49.83, an average of 28:21.97 per man, stands at No. 3 on the program's all-time list. The program record, 2:17:57.69, was set at UMass Dartmouth in 2014.
Salve Regina Performances:
76. Billy Martin – 27:16.99
111. Scott Brewer – 28:02.29
134. Andrew Sardelli – 28:39.74
144. David Napierkowski – 28:54.62
146. Brett Jutras – 28:56.29
161. Riley Rancourt – 29:21.04
185. Kevin Onofreo – 30:52.09
Salve Regina returns to action on Sept. 24 at the Purple Valley Classic hosted by Williams College.
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Courtesy of Rob McGuinness
