Cross country concludes season after NCAA Regionals

By Taylor Kimmell Asst. Sports Editor The Framingham State men’s and women’s cross country teams traveled to the Hopkinton Fairgrounds in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, to compete in the NCAA Division III East Regional Cross Country Championship, hosted by Suffolk University Nov. 15. Of the 32 teams that participated in the 8K, the men’s team placed 25th, with an average time of 29:15. The top finisher for the Rams was sophomore Vincent Gauthier with a time of 27:57, placing 122nd of 216 runners. Gauthier said, “NCAA Regionals is a very important meet for some schools, and knowing I performed well on that day feels like I was able to respect the competition, and I’m happy that I was able to leave this season with another good performance.” He added the course was “a very difficult one compared to what we’ve been running on, so some people had tough days because of it.” Crossing the finish line next for Framingham was sophomore Aaron Corlette with a time of 28:03, placing 125th. Junior Ayden Giombetti was next to finish the race, coming in 160th place with a time of 29:32. Senior Parker Winters crossed the finish line for the final time of his collegiate career at 29:51 in 169th place. Robert Perruzzi, a junior, followed approximately a minute later at 30:52, placing 181st and rounding out the Rams’ top five finishers. The next Ram to complete the race was freshman Jeremy Gale, placing 198th with a time of 32:20. After suffering the effects of an injury at the beginning of the season, Gale said he was happy to be back in action for the meet, having “healed up and qualified for regionals, which was a really cool experience to be a part of.” Only a place behind Gale was Captain Bruno Barbosa, a senior, who rounded out Framingham’s top seven with a time of 32:58. In the 5K, the women’s team finished with an average time of 26:20, ranking them 25th of 30 teams. Junior Natalie Grimaldo was the first finisher for the women’s team in the 5K, crossing the finish line at 25:51 in 130th place out of 214 runners. Captain Meghan Johnston, a senior, was the Rams’ next finisher, ending her final race for Framingham with a time of 25:56 and placing 133rd. Directly following Johnston in 134th place was junior Justine Pickard, crossing the finish line at 25:57. In 150th place, sophomore Grace Avery approached the end next, with a time of 26:35. Rounding out Framingham’s top five was junior Camille Graffeo, who placed 165th with a time of 27:20. Sophomore Abby Flanagan finished her race in 165th place at 27:20. Captain Lydia Marunowski was runner number seven for the women’s team, wrapping up her final race for FSU with a time of 27:29 and placing 168th. Marunowski said, “Ending the season, I am very proud of my individual performance! I have never been one of the fastest runners on the team. I do cross country more for the team environment, but I achieved some time goals this season that I had no idea I was capable of! “We show up for each other as a team, since this sport can be difficult physically, mentally, and emotionally. Showing up for each other through tough races, hard practices, and all the small moments is something that is crucial to the success of the team,” she added. Gale said as the season comes to a close, “I feel great about my individual performance. I ended the year running 4 minutes faster than I started. “I’d say the most improved areas individually were my stamina improving tremendously and my will to fight the pain. As a team, I think our chemistry was really good. Being a first-year, I was kind of scared, but they welcomed me into a wonderful community of people,” he added. Gale said coming into next season, his goals are “to break 30 minutes in the 8K and to just continue to get stronger - both as a person and runner.” Gauthier said, “As a team, I think we’ve improved our mindset. We’re growing more competitive physically for sure, but also mentally, we’re pursuing goals. The culture is changing. I think we’re going to grow into a top team if we can hold onto that.” He said his main goals “between this season and the next are to keep my body healthy while I continue to build off of what I have. I’m running my third marathon this spring, and after that, I’m going to be trying to train for some ridiculous mileage. I plan on coming into next season at the top of our all-time list.” Marunowski said what she will miss most about the team is its warm and welcoming environment. “These girls are like family to me, and the team is where I've made some of my best friends. “I’m going to miss looking forward to practices after a long day of school and the anticipation of the races on Saturdays! I love this team with my whole heart, and I’m so grateful to have experienced it,” she added.