Results

Amherst, Mass. - John O'Shea (Dracut, Mass.) kicked off the beginning of the season with a team best, 18:32.26 to finish third overall on his home course in UMass but it was a team effort to hold off Maine and claim a 29-30 win over the Black Bears. After Maine placed one, two and four, it took a group effort by the Minutemen to pull off the victory. Lead by freshman, Quentin Stipp (Arlington, Mass.) the Minutemen placed fifth through eleventh to hold off Maine's number four runner Don Kerrigan. In that battalion of Minutemen, four of Coach O'Brien's recruits this season placed to solidify their lead. Following O'Shea and Stipp, Paul Merriman (Manlius, N.Y.) finished sixth overall and third for the team with a time of 18:37.87. Crossing the finish line just behind Merriman at 18:37.87, in seventh place was Zachary Florence (East Longmeadow, Mass.). Finishing fifth for the Minutemen was Daniel Sheldon (West Windsor, Mass.) with a time of 18:54.60 in his first race as a Minuteman.

After the win on the opening week of the 2012 cross country season, UMass will compete again at home next week and play host to four teams including Amherst College and UConn. The meet will commence at 11:30 a.m. at Wysocki Fields on September, 15.