Seahawks aim to move up in CCC Championship
NEWPORT, R.I. – Senior Billy Martin (West Islip, N.Y.) will lead Salve Regina into the Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship on Saturday, with the team aiming to improve on its fifth-place finish in 2015.
Martin has been the Seahawks' No. 1 runner in each of the four meets in which he appeared this fall, running some of the fastest 8K times of his collegiate career. The senior posted a 27:16.89 at UMass Dartmouth in September and a 27:31.9 at the Connecticut College Invitational earlier this month.
"Billy is running as well as I have ever seen him run, and he looks poised for some excellent postseason performances," said head coach Rob McGuinness. "His recent workouts and his most recent race were positive indicators, but I think Billy's best efforts are still to come."
Salve Regina has relied on a consistent cast in the No. 2, 3, 4 and 5 spots this fall. While their roles have been interchangeable, juniors Andrew Sardelli (Hope Valley, R.I.), Scott Brewer (Wilbraham, Mass.) and David Napierkowski (Cheshire, Conn.) have often been among the varsity regulars. Sophomore Dan Donnelly (Portsmouth, R.I.), freshman Brett Jutras (East Bridgewater, Mass.) and senior Jay Brennan (North Haven, Conn.) have also made significant scoring contributions.
"One thing we've done very well is score in a pack. There has been very little separation from No. 2 through No. 5 in our lineup," McGuinness said. "The real test will be moving that entire group up in the field. They all work well together. They're sharp. Now it's time to see the hard work pay off."
Gordon College junior Damon Kilgore looks to be the favorite to repeat as individual champion after winning five invitational titles this fall. At the Western New England University Invitational on Oct. 15, Kilgore finished more than a minute ahead of the next-closest opponent from a CCC team.
The team competition looks to be a battle, just as it was in 2015. Defending champion Wentworth still packs its 1-2-3 scoring punch in juniors Dan McSolla, Alex Robbins and Patrick Hopkins, while 2015 runner-up Roger Williams is led by juniors Matt Simonelli and Luke Emby and senior Michael Salnikov.
The University of New England, third in the CCC in 2015, has won two invitational titles this fall. Senior Paul Mangiafico, sophomores Ben Wright, Matthew Toussaint and Caleb Pullman and junior Jon Zalman have been the varsity regulars throughout the season. Endicott, fourth in 2015, is led by juniors Zach Marshall and James Dwyer and sophomore Patrick Finocchiaro.
"This is always a challenging meet to project. The quality of competition in the CCC has been on a steady rise over the past few years," McGuinness said. "We've tested ourselves against some excellent competition this fall, and I know we'll give this race our best effort."
Western New England University hosts the Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship on Saturday. The men's race is scheduled for 1 p.m. on the 8K grass-and-trail course on the WNEU campus in Springfield.
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Courtesy of Rob McGuinness
