Personal Bests at Blazer Invitational

WOW! We came out firing this weekend. The women's squad ran some fast times and it might be that they are learning about speed this season. It was personal bests for Noa, Jess, Emay, Keryn, Collopy, Siobhan, and Janice. Hopefully, this good running continues throughout the rest of the season. I was very impressed with the effort and the future holds some success for our women.

As for the men, they also ran strong. Gus ran his personal best. Fran battled the lead runner from JWU. He gave it his best for four miles and just didn't have it at the end. The good news is he will see this guy again soon. Overall, it was a strong showing from our men and 3rd place is something to be proud of.

Our team is seeing improvements every week. This is a sign of hard work and health. We need to continue to make good decisions and good things will come. Next week, look for more records to break as we head to Gordon College. The Pop Crowell Invitational is well attended and always fast. We hope to get out fast and push harder than we have pushed before. This is always a good weekend for us.

The Blazer Invitational Preview

After an impressive performance at UMASS Dartmouth, Lesley XC looks forward towards the Blazer Invitational at Chicopee State Park. I don't imagine records will be broken this week as we are running a difficult and challenging course. There is one major hill that the women will do once and the men will run twice. This race will be about strength and the strongest runner will win. With that being said, Noa and Fran will have their work cutout for them if they have any thoughts about winning this thing. Johnson and Wales will be Lesley University's toughest opponent since they have gotten the best of us for two straight weeks now. But we will face fellow NECC teams such as Newbury College, Elms College, and Bay Path College. We should get a good sense of these teams after this race.

The underlying significance of this race is that we will be running it again in one month for the NECC Championships. So Lesley looks to take this opportunity to study the course and run well. It will be a rare opportunity to measure the team's improvement over a months time and we are excited to do that.

Hopefully, we will see our supporters out there. Bring your bug spray and wish us luck.

Roger Williams

Great day for the men. It was a tune up race for them as they only had to run a 5k as opposed to the normal 8k. The idea was to get out fast and they did. Fran dropped a 5:10 mile for his first mile and held on for a strong finish. This course is slow so his time does not do him justice. Look for him to go after his PR next Saturday at UMASS Dartmouth.

The women did well in their debut. Noa Kupfer came in the top 10 and we had a strong pack in the 23 minute range. Again, it was a slow course so no one was excited about their times. Next week is where we should see significant improvement.

UMASS Dartmouth is an exciting race. This is really the only race for the weekend in New England. So there are plenty of teams competing. Normally, we see the top teams competing for the #1 ranking in Division III Northeast. Please come out and watch us. We always set up our camp between the track and the road. The course is very accessible and you will be able to see Lesley runners in lots of places. Good Luck Lesley!

1st Annual President's Cup

This year, Lesley University and Lasell College have come together to create the President's Cup. This annual event will take place at the beginning of the cross country season and will always be a dual meet at Fresh Pond in Cambridge, MA.

In its first year, the Lesley women took the cup as did the Lasell men. The individual winners were both from Lesley (Francis Cusick and Noa Kupfer). Noa is our young freshman who has emerged as our lead runner. She ran 16:35 for 2.5 miles and won the race with ease. Franny did the same with 27:33 for the 5 mile race.

Sarah Chafe, Merrie Rothstein, and Brian Axelrod all ran their personal bests at Fresh Pond. They have clearly come into pre-season in shape.

Danielle Kelly and Jess Arnold continue to surprise everyone with their fast times. Whereas, Elissa May is proving why she was one of top runners in our recruiting class this year.

Saturday was a tune up race as both Lesley and Lasell will meet again next weekend at Colt State Park in Bristol, RI.

Being Ranked #1

This week, our women's team was ranked #1 by the NECC Conference for the second year in a row. Our men's team was ranked 3rd. Both rankings were very generous and we are proud to represent our conference. But the message is clear that this ranking does not mean anything unless we win the NECC Championship. Last year, the women responded to the challenge and earned the pre-season ranking. Lots has changed this year, so can this year's team rise to the same challenge?

Our first meet is tomorrow and we run against a tough team in Lasell College. The meet was postponed from last week, so both teams are eager to get out there and run their best. Come watch us at 11 am at Fresh Pond in Cambridge. The starting line is by the Water Building near the parking lots. It should be great weather and fun to watch. Stay tuned for a breakdown post-race.