University of Massachusets Athletics
Deep South, Chili Pepper Festival On Docket for MXC
October 13, 2010 | Men's Cross Country
Oct. 13, 2010
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The cold weather may be embarking upon the Northeast region of the United States and UMass, but the men's cross country team is preparing for warmer conditions this Saturday at the 2010 Chili Pepper Festival. The trip to Fayetteville, Ark. will mark the farthest south that the men's cross country program has been since the 1970's. Heading into the next two weekends, UMass will face some of its toughest competition thus far this season, with the A-10 Meet following the Chili Pepper Festival on October 30.
Coaches' Poll Released
Following a first, and two 30th place finishes in the first three meets of the season respectively, the Minutemen are currently picked to tie for fifth in the Atlantic 10 with Saint Joseph's and Xavier, according to the current rank of conference coaches.
Last Time Out
At last weekend's New England Championships (10/9), the Minutemen captured 30th place in a field of 47 teams in the state's capital. Helping to score 771 points, Patrick McAllister led the way for UMass, placing 90th overall in 26:08.
Path Towards Perfection
In terms of perfection on the UMass squad, Daniel Barry and Andrew Mulvaney have been tearing up the turf as far as top team finishes are concerned in the first two meets of the season. The senior harries both took one first and second place team finish respectively between the UMass Invitational (9/18) and the Paul Short Invitational (10/1).
Mulvaney led the Minutemen at the UMass Invite by placing fourth overall in 25:48, while Barry took second on the team and fifth overall by crossing the line at 25:51. The duo switched places at the Paul Short Invite as Barry placed first on the team and 90th overall with a time of 25:09 while Mulvaney crossed the line at 25:31, good enough for 155th among a field of 387 competitors.
Minutemen Stand Strong
At the first meet of the season on September 18, the Minutemen stole first place scoring 47 points. The team tallied a score good enough to edge out the four other competitors including the runner-up UConn Huskies with 51 points.
Sensational Seniors
In impressive fashion the 2011 graduating class combined to take the top four team spots at the Paul Short Invitational (10/1), helping the Minutemen to place 30th among 42 teams. In the top tier were Daniel Barry, Andrew Mulvaney, Scott VanderMolen, and Robert Deegan.
At the season's first meet in Amherst, the senior class stole the top five team spots at the annual Home Meet. Leading the way for the 2011 class was Andrew Mulvaney who took fourth overall in 25:48 followed by Daniel Barry in fifth place overall.
Returning to lead the Minutemen this season are seniors Daniel Barry, Kevin Johnson, David Johnson, Robert Deegan, Sean Duncan, Sonny Gamble, Andrew Mulvaney, and Scott VanderMolen. In 2009, the octet combined for 19 top five team finishes, along with five of the team's top overall finishes.
Fab Five
In week three at the New England Championships (10/9), Paul Merriman made it into the team's top five for the first time this season. The freshman from Manlius, N.Y. placed third on the squad and 186th overall in
Making an impact on the team in only his second career meet, Patrick McGowan stepped up to the plate at the Paul Short Invite (10/1) by placing fifth on the team and 189th overall. The freshman, who tallied points for UMass crossed the line at 25:51, his personal season best thus far.
At the UMass Invitational (9/18), three newcomers competed for UMass, including Patrick McGowan, Dan Joyce, and Paul Merriman. The trio placed seventh, eighth, and ninth respectively on the team.
The Minutemen will have no lack of energy in 2010 with five freshmen being added to the cross country squad. Included in the 2014 class are high school stand outs Patrick McGowan, Paul Merriman, Jared Reddy, Antony Taylor, and Dan Joyce.
McGowan, a heavily touted high school star, was named the Boston Globe Scholastic, All-Scholastic Cross Country Boys Athlete of the Year in 2009 while at Mansfield High School. He also won the 2009 State Meet in 16:02, leading his school to the team championship. Adding to his accolades, the highly recruited freshman was named the Massachusetts Division 1 Cross Country state champion, posting a time of 16:05 over the 5K course.
Merriman joins the Minutemen from the Empire State and Fayetteville-Manlius High School. As a high school competitor, the freshman helped lead his squad to four league cross country titles, two regional and sectional titles (2008, 2009), as well as a state championship in 2009.
Reddy, a native of Methuen, Mass. earned Boston Globe First Team All-State honors in cross country as a junior and senior in high school, notching marks of 16:33 over the 5K course at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass. The freshman recruit recorded the fastest time ever by a Methuen High School Ranger at the 2009 Division 1 All-State Cross Country Meet by crossing the line at 16:11.8, good enough for third place overall.
Taylor, a recent addition to the sport of cross country, was crowned an individual cross country champion in 2009 at Arlington High School. The freshman also posted a runner-up performance at the MIAA Division II Cross Country Championships and the MIAA All-State Championships. Born in Bromley, England, Taylor competed in cross country, soccer, and track & field while at Arlington High School.
Joyce rounds out the freshman five, while hailing from Marshfield, Mass. The cross country and track & field competitor served as his team captain during his junior and senior seasons, helping to lead Marshfield High School to a total of five Atlantic Coast League Championships between the two sports. He was tabbed an ACL All-Star for all three seasons as a junior and senior.
Talented Twins
The Johnson twins are expected to make their season debuts in week four at the Chili Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Ark. On October 16.
Kevin and David Johnson return for their senior cross country seasons this fall. The impressive twin duo combined to finish first on the team in four-of-five meets last season. Each brother placed in the team's top five in every meet competed in, in 2009.
Kevin placed first on the team and seventh overall at last year's A-10 Championships in 26:57.8, helping to lead the Minutemen to a second place finish overall. David led the Minutemen at the UMass Nine-Way Meet in 2009, while finishing third overall in 29:38.00. Kevin was also an All-Atlantic 10 Selection in 2009, as well as named to the A-10 Academic All-Conference Team.
Experience At The Helm
Veteran head coach Ken O'Brien returns for his 43rd season of coaching in 2010. Continually, O'Brien has made the grade as far as success is concerned while at UMass. In the past two seasons, the Foxboro, Mass. native has led the Minutemen to an A-10 Championship (2008) and a second place conference finish (2009).
The 2008 A-10 Coach of the Year carries 19 conference titles, four New England Championships, two IC4A titles, and seven All-Americans on his resume. This year O'Brien adds five talented freshmen to the UMass squad, and will be assisted by former Minuteman standout, Matthew Clark.
Players Mentioned
