Intense heat and humidity are not typically a part of a New England fall.
This past weekend, the Fairfield Cross Country teams had to deal with summer weather as they hosted a meet for the second time this fall.
The Fairfield Men’s Cross Country team ran away with the title at the 34th Fr. Victor F. Leeber, S.J., Invitational on Saturday September 25.
This is the first time since 2002 that the men have taken the title.
Despite intense heat, the men placed five runners in the top 12, with Ben Heslin leading the Stags by finishing second overall.
Freshman Howie Rosas was right behind Heslin, finishing third overall.
For the Stags, this race was about more than the performance of their top two runners.
The men sealed the victory with solid performances from John Lobo ’14, who placed fifth overall, Matt Brunelle ’12 who placed 10th overall, and Kyle Short ’13 who placed 12th overall.
The Stags edged out cross-town rival Sacred Heart for the Leeber Invitational title.
Although Sacred Heart placed four runners in the top eight, Fairfield’s five runners in the top 12 proved to be the difference.
Senior Jeff Paul, who finished 70th overall, commented on the importance of the Leeber Invitational. “”As a freshman, our goal was just to finish the season. As the years went on and the team got better our goals changed, but the goal for the Leeber never changed. We always wanted to win it, and it’s nice to complete that goal after four years.”
The combination of Ben Heslin ’11 and Howie Rosas ’14 has paced the Stags this fall.
The mix of young and old has provided Fairfield with current success and an even brighter future.
As for this year, the depth of the team and its ability to stay healthy will be keys to a strong season.
The Stags have gotten significant contributions from freshmen Howie Rosas and John Lobo, making their ability to stay consistent a critical factor.
The Women’s Cross Country team finished third in the latest running of the Leeber Invitational.
Junior Kristen Golen led the Stags, finishing ninth overall.
Meghan Sullivan ’13 finished 14th overall and Caroline Riley ‘12 finished 17th.
On a day when multiple runners dropped out of the race due to heat, the women’s cross country team had several runners step up to the challenge.
Golen and Sullivan have been a 1-2 punch all year for the Stags and that did not change on Saturday.
The Stags will need contributions from more than their top two in order to be successful.
A bright spot on Saturday was the race run by junior Caroline Riley.
She finished 17th overall and ran a personal-record time of 20:19. Her finish, combined with Golen and Sullivan’s effort, helped the Stags stay ahead of MAAC foe Manhattan College.
Golen said, “Our team is looking forward to the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University this Friday because it is a fast course with great competition, which is great preparation for MAACs.”
The Stags will need their top five runners to be near the top in order to compete for a MAAC championship.
With the depth that the Stags have, a fourth and fifth runner could come from anywhere during any given race. The Stags will need to find these runners soon, with the MAAC championship only a month away.
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