Next Up
The UMass Minutemen will toe up to the line Saturday, October 4th against a medley of regionally and nationally ranked teams, 44 in all. They are due to compete at the Paul Short Invitational held at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. At 11:00 AM, after the men and women’s open races, the Minutemen have their chance to stretch their legs on the Murray H. Goodman campus’s grassy 8K course whose open layout allows for prime spectator viewing. The start line and finish line are located to the northwest of Goodman Stadium. After the gun goes off, the men will race about a kilometer due southwest before looping back to end their first mile to the south of Goodman Stadium. The men head west in the second mile, past the Kaufman softball fields, south through club fields, and finally west to end their second mile alongside Goodman Drive – South. Mile three will be spent looping in complex turns along the open, grassy southern edge of campus before shooting straight north in mile four, parallel to Creek Street and the athletic fields. After mile four, things get fast when the men race through the well-manicured Mulvihill Golf Learning Center. At 500 meters to go, spectators had better jockey for a prime viewing position near Goodman Stadium because the final fight to the finish is fought on five hundred meters of open field which will guarantee an exciting finish.
Honors
Minuteman Benjamin Thomas received honors following his performance at the Minuteman Invitational. The junior was named co-UMass Athlete of the week after he crossed the line in 19:11 for a third place finish out of 89 runners in the 6K race. It was a career highlight for Thomas, as it was his first time as UMass’ lead finisher.
Debut Performances
Each of the freshmen Minutemen had their debut collegiate run at the Minuteman Invitational. Samuel Conway finished ninth for the minutemen and 33rd overall with a time of 19:53. Alex Sullivan crossed the line next with a time of 20:14, marking an 11th place finish for the team and 43rd overall. Jay McMahon finished 13th for the team and 50th overall with a time of 20:27. Finally, Andrew Burke crossed in 21:04 for a 17th place team finish and 69th overall.
Who's Back
- The Minutemen return 11 individuals who competed in at least one meet last fall. Among the returnees are six of the squad's top-seven finishers from last year's conference championship meet, including 2013 All-Atlantic 10 honoree Ben Groleau. UMass also brings back redshirt senior Patrick McGowan who did not compete during the 2013 season, but was an all-conference selection in 2011.
- Also among the returnees is sophomore Paolo Tavares who is coming off an outstanding 2014 track and field season that culminated with a sixth-place finish in the 3,000m steeplechase at the USA Track & Field Junior Outdoor Championships in July.
New Faces
- UMass has added four newcomers to the squad, welcoming Andrew Burke, Samuel Conway, Paul Maurais and Jay McMahon for the 2014 season. All four are Massachusetts natives who join the Minutemen following accomplished high school running careers.
- Conway, who comes to UMass from nearby Wilbraham, was the 2013 Cross Country Runner of the Year for Western Massachusetts out of Minnechaug Regional High School.
At The Helm
- Head coach Ken O'Brien enters his 48th season at the helm for the Minutemen in 2014-15. The 1963 UMass graduate has guided the Minutemen to 19 conference titles (Yankee, Atlantic 10 and Eastern), four New England crowns, two IC4A titles and seven All-America performances combined in cross country and track & field.
Captains Named
- Redshirt senior Patrick McGowan and junior Benjamin Thomas will serve as team captains for the Minutemen during the 2014 cross country season.
- McGowan came into UMass as a highly touted recruit and has not disappointed on the track when healthy. Unable to compete last year due to injury the Mansfield, Mass., native ran for three top two finishes for UMass in 2012. As a freshman he was one of the team's top harriers, recording six top four finishes for UMass with four of them being in the top three.
- Thomas began his UMass career making an impact right away in 2012 when he ran for five top seven performances including a third place effort at the IC4A Championship. In his second year as a Minuteman the Manlius, N.Y., native showed significant improvement placing in the top three for UMass in five of the six meets he appeared in with a fourth-place finish.
Preseason Predictions
- UMass was tabbed fourth out of 14 teams in the 2014 Atlantic 10 preseason poll, coming off a fourth-place finish at the 2013 Atlantic 10 Championship. La Salle was selected as the preseason favorite, with Saint Joseph's and Duquesne rounding out the top-three.
- The 2014 Atlantic 10 Championship will be held on Nov. 1, at Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, Pa.
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