WATERFORD, Conn.. – The Brandeis University men's cross country team finished in 14th place at the Division III New England Regional championships on Saturday at Harkness Memorial State Park in Connecticut.
The Judges were led by sophomore Mitchell Hutton (Villa Park, Calif. / Villa Park) for the second meet in a row. Hutton, who was the team's top finisher at the University Athletic Association championships at Franklin Park in Boston, took 41st place out of 380 runners with a time of 25:45.2. He was just six seconds out of the top 35 and All-New England status. Hutton was 27 places better than his 2014 performance at New Englands, running more than 1:10 faster at the same meet, although on a different course.
Next up for Brandeis was sophomore Liam Garvey (West Springfield, Mass./West Springfield). The team's seventh finisher as a freshman, Garvey improved his standing at New Englands by more than 50 spots, covering the eight-kilometer course in 26:09.4 – almost two minutes better than his 2014 time – to finish in 78th place.
Sophomore Roger Lacroix (Waltham, Mass./Waltham) made his New England's debut as the team's third runner, coming in 89th in 26:22.8, marking the first time he has cracked Brandeis's top three in his career. Classmate Brian Sheppard (Whitman, Mass. / Whitman-Hanson Reg.) also had a fine performance in his first New England regional, coming in fourth for the team and 104th overall with a time of 26:39.9. Junior Quinton Hoey (Watertown, Conn./Watertown) rounded out the Brandeis scorers with a time of 27:00.0, good for 121st place.