University of Massachusets Athletics
Men?s Cross Country Opens Season In Boston
September 06, 1999 | Men's Cross Country
Sept. 6, 1999
THE WEEK AHEAD: UMass travels to Franklin Park in Boston for a meet hosted by Boston College on Friday, Sept. 10 at 4:00 p.m. Also competing in the meet will be Connecticut, Iona and New Hampshire.
1999 PREVIEW: The Minutemen will be paced by a pair of experienced seniors this season. Captian Kevin Somers (Monson, Mass.) was UMass? top performer last year, placing 19th in the Atlantic-10 Championships. Matt Ely (Andover, Mass.) will also be looked upon to lead the team. Ely had two top-ten finishes last season and finished 38th overall at the Atlantic-10 finals. The men return eight letterwinners from last season?s squad. The Minutemen are picked to finish fourth in the conference according to the preseason Atlantic-10 coaches poll, after a fifth place finish overall last season.
HEAD COACH KEN O?BRIEN: This will be Ken O?Brien?s 33rd season as head coach of the UMass men?t cross country/track & field teams. During his tenure, UMass has won 16 conference championships, four New England titles and two IC4A titles. Last season, O?Brien was named NCAA District I Track and Field Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year. The 1963 UMass graduate has produced seven all-Americans during his 33-year career.
