Martin leads Salve Regina at ECAC Championship

WESTFIELD, Mass. - Sophomore Billy Martin (West Islip, N.Y.) ran the second-fastest 8K of his career in leading Salve Regina to 31st place in the ECAC Division III Cross Country Championship on Saturday. Martin crossed the finish line at 27:31.31 to finish inside the top 100 in the field of 303 runners.

Martin took a measured approach to the opening mile - which the leaders reached between 4:30 and 4:35 - coming through at about 5:10. He reached three miles at 15:50 and four miles at 21:28 in a steady race effort on the grass-and-trail course at Stanley Park.

"Billy had an excellent performance today," said head coach Rob McGuinness. "His last two races were on a much slower, more technical course. That takes a toll. It was great to see him move so well on a course that was better suited for a fast time."

Freshman John Lutz (Ringwood, N.J.), who was the Seahawks' first alternate for the ECAC meet, ran in the No. 2 position, posting a personal- and collegiate-best time of 28:57.84. Sophomore Tyler Torelli (Ledyard, Conn.), freshman Scott Brewer (Wilbraham, Mass.) and sophomore Jay Brennan (North Haven, Conn.) rounded out the scoring at 29:09.38, 30:03.01 and 30:12.77.

"John really stepped up on a day that we hadn't planned to have him in the lineup. It turned out to be a good day for him," McGuinness said. "Tyler, Scott and Jay earned this postseason appearance and all ran very well. We're starting to develop some depth on this team, and all of the guys who ran today are an important part of our future."

Sophomores Anthony Tandy (Hopedale, Mass.) and Kevin Onofreo (Middlefield, Conn.) ran at No. 6 and No. 7 for the Seahawks. Tandy crossed the finish line at 30:19.28 and Onofreo finished at 30:22.16.

Williams College captured the team title with a score of 57 points. Tufts University was second with 71 points, and Amherst College was third with 111. Steven Lucey of Amherst was the individual champion with a time of 25:37.39. Salve Regina finished 31st of 43 complete teams. There were 52 colleges and universities represented in the men's race.

The Seahawks conclude their 2014 cross country campaign in the NCAA New England Regional Championship on November 15. The meet, hosted by Williams College, will be run on the championship course at Mount Greylock High School in Williamstown, Mass. 

Results: http://www.coolrunning.com/results/14/ma/Nov8_ECACDi_set1.shtml

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