By Bailey Knecht, sports editor
Every year, the Battle in Beantown attracts some of the most talented runners from schools across the country to compete in a grueling cross country race at Franklin Park.
This year, the Northeastern men’s team finished ninth out of 19 teams. The Husky women also finished in the top 20, ending up in 17th out of 21 teams.
“It’s obvious we keep growing as a team with new members and the returners are continuing to gain ground on where they left off last year,” Head Coach Cathrine Erickson said in an email to the news. “I think the biggest difference is in our numbers and the depth of our group.”
Northeastern couldn’t compete with national powerhouses such as the University of Oregon and the University of Michigan in Friday’s race. Oregon dominated the men’s race with an overall score of 24 compared to Northeastern’s 297. The top two finishers in the men’s 8k race hail from Oregon. Senior Eric Jenkins and sophomore Edward Cheserek tied for first with a time of 24:20.
“Just as steel sharpens steel, we believe being in races with some of the best teams in the country will give our teams first-hand knowledge of the standard we strive for every day,” Erickson said.
Northeastern senior Zachary Fraielli finished the men’s race nearly a minute after the first-place finishers with a time of 25:17, earning him a 42nd-place finish.
“Truthfully, I expected a better performance out of myself,” Fraielli said. “However, given the competition level and the conditions of the race, it felt good to battle the last two miles to earn that spot.”
Erickson pointed out Fraielli’s improvement over his time at Northeastern.
“Zach has grown tremendously over the last couple of years,” she said. “Having a breakout year last year has really put him in a good place, and we expect this year to be even better.”
She is also aware of the gap that will be left once Fraielli graduates, but she believes that her team will work hard to fill that gap.
“With Zach in his last year of eligibility, many of the young guys will need to work hard over the next year to pick up where Zach leaves off,” Erickson said. “We have a good, young group of guys who are hungry for success and I believe they will do what is expected of them in order to be prepared to step in where the upperclassmen leave off.”
In the women’s 5k, sophomore Lucy Young led the Huskies with a time of 17:50 and a 34th-place finish. Sophomore Jordan O’Dea finished shortly after in 52nd place.
The team will spend the next two weeks preparing to compete in the New England Championship race on Oct. 11, and then will return to Franklin Park for the Colonial Athletic Association championships on Nov. 1.
Erickson and her team are ready for the upcoming challenge.
“The newcomers are going to make a big impact where we need them to, and our upperclassmen are right where we want them, as we start preparing for the championship season,” she said.
Photo by Kariman Abuljadayel
