University of Massachusets Athletics
Championship Stretch Continues For MXC At NCAA Regionals
November 09, 2010 | Men's Cross Country
Nov. 9, 2010
MADISON, Conn. - The Minutemen are headed south this Saturday for what will prove to be one of, if not the most competitive field that UMass will face this fall. The NCAA Regional Championships are set for Saturday morning with an 11:45 am start time in Madison, Conn. The meet, being hosted at Hammonasset Park, comes a week after the Amherst harriers captured third place at the A-10 Championships. The top finishers at the weekend meet will have an opportunity to qualify individually for the NCAA Championships, while an overall team qualification is a possibility as well for UMass.
A-10's, A Success
Despite suffering injuries, as well as losing three of the team's top competitors to graduation in 2009, the Minutemen have to be satisfied with their solid third place finish at last weekend's A-10 Championships (10/30). Leading the squad and earning All-Conference honors were brothers Kevin and David Johnson. The Ludlow natives placed 12th and 13th respectively, aiding UMass's 112 point effort.
Talented Twins
In their final A-10 Cross Country Meet, Kevin and David Johnson went out in style, stealing the top two spots on the team respectively. Kevin led the way with an All-Conference performance in 24:59, and a 5:02 pace per mile. David, impressive as well, clocked in at 25:00, finishing 13th overall, only one spot behind Kevin.
Kevin and David, two of the most prolific competitors for UMass cross country since arriving in Amherst, made their 2010 debut on October 18 at the Chili Pepper Festival. The twin brothers placed first and second on the team respectively in 30:54.91 and 30:57.23.
Kevin and David 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.
Path Towards Perfection
In terms of excellence within the UMass squad, Daniel Barry and Andrew Mulvaney have been tearing up the turf as far as top team finishes are concerned in this season. Most recently, Mulvaney placed third on the team and 20th overall at the A-10 Championships (10/30) with a time of 25:16.
The harriers finished fifth and third respectively on the team at the Chili Pepper Festival (10/16) in Arkansas. The senior competitors also 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 (9/18) 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
The A-10 Meet (10/30) was a success for the Minutemen, as Ken O'Brien led his squad to a third place team finish in a field of 14, adding two Minutemen to the All-Conference Team.
UMass was able to notch a solid eighth place finish among 50 squads and 470 competitors at the fourth meet of the season (10/16). In the field of teams were nationally ranked powerhouses, #2 Oklahoma State University, #6 University of Arkansas, and #7 Indiana University.
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
The trip to Pittsburg, Pa. for the A-10 Championships (10/30) did not stop the 2010 class from dominating once again within the UMass squad. The seniors captured the top six spots on the team as in descending order the harriers crossed the line: Kevin Johnson (24:59), David Johnson (25:00), Andrew Mulvaney (25:16), Scott VanderMolen (25:35), Robert Deegan (25:38), and Sonny Gamble (25:48).
Kevin and David Johnson, two of the most prolific competitors for UMass cross country since arriving in Amherst, made their 2010 debut on October 18 at the Chili Pepper Festival. The twin brothers placed first and second on the team respectively in 30:54.91 and 30:57.23.
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.
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.
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 2010, O'Brien helped UMass notch a third place team finish with 112 points at the A-10 Championships (10/30), despite several early season injuries adding to the loss of three outstanding harriers due to graduation in 2009. 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.
Players Mentioned
