SMITHFIELD, R.I. –
Wesley Gallagher,
Stephen Sollowin,
Zachary Fraielli and
Zachary Krause earned top-five finishes overall to lead the Northeastern men's cross country team at the Nassaney Invitational in the Huskies' season opening race. The NU women were led by
Jordan O'Dea's sixth place finish.
In a dual scored meet against Bryant and Boston University, the NU men and women walked away with first place finishes across the board.
The men's team defeated the Terriers by 21 points in addition to a 34-point victory spread over the Bulldogs. NU's women's squad clipped Boston University and Bryant by three points and one point, respectively.Â
"We are very pleased with how the group opened up," said Erickson. "There were several personal bests from those who have raced the same course in the past."
Sophomore Gallagher took first place in the men's 5k with a race time of 15:21.0. Sollowin and Fraielli followed immediately behind, finishing second and third and clocking in at 15:21.5 and 15:22.7, in that order. Krause rounded out the quartet of top-five finishers, crossing fifth with a 15:31.5 mark.
Allen Meringolo clocked in next for Northeastern at 16:18.0, finishing 12th overall, while
Charles Conway (15th; 16:20.1) and
Craig Hammond (18th; 16:22.8) also earned a top-25 finish.
On the women's side, O'Dea's time of 18:20.2 set the pace for the Huskies in the 5k race. Returners
Jocelyn Hubbard (24th) and
Danielle Klein (25th) finished one after the other, clocking in at 19:10.1 and 19:11.7, respectively.
"We are really excited about how both of the teams have started," said Erickson. "They really believe in themselves and in the program and you can tell they are looking forward to competing well this year."
Northeastern will be back in action as the Huskies travel to the Br. Doyle Iona Meet of Champions on Sept. 21.
