Men's Cross-Country Takes Fourth

The Harvard men's cross country team did more than just host the New England Championships this past Friday at Franklin Field. Led by Senior Captain Scott Muoio, the team proved a strong contender in the 8K race, finishing fourth among 39 teams.

Harvard had a total score of 153, trailing only Providence College (31), Dartmouth (56) and Brown (74). Despite the Crimson's solid finish and an impressive race for Muoio, the team was not completely content with the results.

"We were a little disappointed; we came in with higher expectations and had our sights set on beating Brown," said junior David Martin. "Scott had a good race and so did Ed, [but] it didn't come together for us the way we wanted it to."

The winning time, from Ben Noad of Providence, clocked in at 23:42. For the Crimson, Muoio was the first to cross the line in 24:39, capturing 14th place.

Freshman Jussi Utriainen finished in 24:59, taking 23rd place. David Martin earned a spot as 31st in 25:07, followed eleven seconds later by sophomore Edward Baker who took 39th place and sophomore Matthew Stevens at 25:21 who came in 46th.

The New England Championship is one of the bigger meets the men race in during the season with its total of 263 runners. There were schools from Division I, II and III competing.

"With that volume of runners it turns into a free for all in the first few miles," Martin said. "[There is] a lot less room to maneuver."

The team now gets ready for Heptagonals in New York City on Halloween weekend. It is a prestigious tournament, one that pits the Crimson against the rest of the Ivy League and Navy. Despite less than stellar performances in previous years, the men look forward to the meet this year with determination.

"We won't be satisfied with being in the back," Martin said. "We plan to be right up there. We are a close knit group, and that makes it easier to build confidence and shake off the last race."

For their training, the team divides the season into three parts. They begin focusing on strength with a lot of mileage and hills. Then they shift to an emphasis on endurance and repetitions.

Towards the end, they do more interval and speed work. Now entering the tapering phase, the Crimson believes this shift will rejuvenate everyone for the remaining meets.

"Right now we are not quite as sharp as we want, [but] we will get better," Utriainen said. "The best races are yet to come."