2015 NESCAC Cross Country

After a brutally inaccurate preview of the team for this weekend, I thought that I would go ahead and predict the top 10 individuals.

1. Hussein. He has been dealt one loss this year, and it was from a Robert Allen (UMass Lowell) who has run 4:00.

2. Mazaheri. These two are obviously the clear favorites. I think Mazaheri will try to push too late, and will be dusted like he has in the previous two encounters with Hussein.

3. O'Connor. After running 24:46 at Opens, its pretty hard to not give him the nod for third here. He will be leading the chase pack on the front two, and I think 3-7 will be a toss-up.

4. Decker. Ran out of his mind here last year, to take the top Freshman honor, he will be tough to beat.

5. Nichols. As mentioned in the teams predictions, finally seems to be returning to form, and shouldn't be too far behind his teammate/lover.

6. Crowley. Sub 25 at Opens. Running slightly better than last year, and so I slotted him up two places from last year.

7. Eastman. Only runner I've ranked lower than last year (7th vs. 6th). Comparing times from last year, he seems to be in slightly worse shape. He ran slower at Paul Short this year than he did at Opens last year, and Paul Short is faster. However, this is the time of the year that he starts to hit his stride, he could easily move up as far as 3rd.

8. Bosworth. Don't really want to rank him, because I just assume that he is bound to blow up soon. But its one of those where after putting in so many 100 mile weeks, the workout hero might finally put something together.

9. Hoagland. After ripping a 25:10 on the Conn College course, Hoagie seems to be back. Watch out for the 2014 ECAC runner up in this race. If he gets some fine Trinity powder beforehand, who knows, maybe he can finish in the top 5.

10. Hale. On the up and up in college. Ran well at Little 3's placing not too far behind Crowley. He needs to run more like this performance, and less like his 25:24 at Paul Short if he wants to crack the top 10.

Comments aren't really needed, because my list is correct.

If we ignore the fact that Bosworth is injured and that you're overlooking a few of the best runners in the conference, this is probably a reasonable prediction

I'll take 25-1 odds Silas over decker...you are a joke

Yeah? How about you mention some of them then?

Williams and Amherst are clearly 1-2 just like their top two runners. I see Wesleyan taking 3rd on their home course. Its a treacherous one and they know it the best. They've also been streaky and I bet they will streak in the right direction at home. Wouldn't be surprised to see Titcomb who is quick on the track come in 4th behind Silas Hussien and Bijan. Little 3 was a learning experience for them. 4th Ill go with Bates who have been consistent all year. They shouldn't have anyone in the top10 but they may have all 5 in the top 25. 5th Ill pick a surprise team in Hamilton. Its unclear why they raced all out on their home course this weekend; that course is pretty tough and they had no competition but they've got a lot of seniors and Pfander seems to be hitting his stride of late I think hes in the top 10 at this meet with Harrison Sullivan not far behind. Ill put Tufts in 6th with O Connor and Nichols leading the charge in the top 10 but no one else on that team has done shit this year.

I was thinking of Titcomb and Bridger Tomlin of Bowdoin, who could crack the top-15 (25:27 last week!). Someone is probably going to tell me that Bowdoin sucks or something. No, I don't go to Bowdoin. But as was said above, they always show up later in the season. Titcomb beat both Silas and Bosworth at Paul Short.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

10/25/15

HARTFORD, Conn. -

Senior Patrick Hoagland is enjoying a strong season for the Trinity Bantams Men's Cross Country team. As captain of the developing squad, Hoagland has led the Bantams in each of the past four races including a strong 6th place showing at the Connecticut College Invite last weekend at Harnkess State Park. "That race was pretty rad, my body took a gnarly thrashing but to be honest I was thinking about my newest lava lamp purchase the entire time!" said Hoagland. "I collect lava lamps, check these out!" At this time Hoagland led the reporter into his off campus apartment containing more than 80 lava lamps.

Entering his final year, Hoagland or "Hoagie" as he is affectionately called by his teammates has already run his way to several accomplishments including qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships last winter in the 3000 meter run.

"I had to move off campus because the RAs wouldn't let me have these in the dorms. Something about them being a fire hazard. Lava lamps are my passion and I am very excited to show people my collection. It has taken several years to get to this point." Pointing towards a shelf featuring several of the mineral oil and paraffin wax filed halogen lamps Hoagland noted, "An accountant named Edward Craven Walker invented the lava lamp in 1963. The blobs of wax inside the tube rise and fall as their density changes due to the heating from the incandescent light bulb at the bottom! This phenomenon is a form of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability, something to do with fluid mechanics."

After battling with injuries late last spring and through the summer, Trinity College coaches are very impressed with Hoagland's improvement since the start of the season and are excited to see what the post season has in store for the harrier.

"Sometimes the lamps burn out because I keep them on all the time. Literally 24/7, it's mondo bogus but hey what can you do?" said the 4:13 indoor miler, producing a large cardboard box from a closet filled with light bulbs. "I typically order bulbs in bulk and thanks to my dad’s Amazon Prime membership my costs have reduced significantly in that respect. I could get all technical about it and explain how the bulbs are normally 25 to 40 watts for the best quality of light but I'll save you from that weak sauce." Pointing towards a recycle bin of bulbs next to his front door, "Those bulbs are effin' cashed".

Under a week away from the NESCAC Cross Country Championships which, will be held at neighboring Wesleyan University in Middletown, Hoagland is beginning his final preparations for an All-NESCAC bid. Coaches note he is looking very good during faster interval work. A sign that the hard work the runner put in during the early parts of the season is starting to pay off.

"This one is probably the rarest I own, it's Spiro Disco Ball Blue liquid with Electric Lime and Daffodil colored wax, it's rare because it is one of the few lava lamps still around that is filled with carbon tetrachloride. The use of tetrachloride was banned in 1970 due to it's toxicity, hella tragic. Anyway, my favorite lamp is probably his one, it's very basic Vivid Auburn and Coco Bean with a little La Salle Green thrown in there for the waxes in a clear liquid. It reminds me of the California state flag, that's home. Surfs up!"

Looking beyond the Cross Country season, Hoagland hopes to return to the NCAA Indoor Championships and improve upon his 12th place showing at 3000 meters. He has also expressed his desire to contend for a New England title at the same distance.

"In the winter I put my blue and gold Trinity Bantams calf high socks over a lamp so they get nice and warm before a run. It's a righteous experience."

Hoagland's performances the past seasons have become an integral part of rebuilding of the Trinity Cross Country and Track and Field teams. His coaches believe his strong work ethic and laid back approach to running has been the catalyst for an increase in desire to succeed amongst his teammates. According to one coach, "He's a great teammate, he works hard and does all of the little things."

"You bet your bottom dollar I bring a lamp with me to meets. Nothing gets me relaxed and ready to run fast like a nice lava lamp. I Fedex'd this one to Winston Salem, North Carolina last year for the national indoor meet because I'm pretty sure you can't bring these on planes. Don't get me started on how I get all of these back to San Diego, lets just say it's a big hassle but I try and keep a tubular perspective about it. I'm still deciding on which lamp to bring to NESCACs. Probably this one here with Peridot translucent liquid with Bunting Blue wax, it's the closest thing to the Trinity school colors I have. Hopefully, there is a power outlet at the course!"

When asked how he thinks the race will play out on Saturday Hoagland replied, "It's going to be lit. Get it? Like a lamp. A lava lamp."

With many more races and several more months of training ahead of him the sky is the limit for Patrick Hoagland.

300 Summit Street, Hartford, CT 06106-3100

Tel. 860-297-2000 I

http://www.trincoll.edu

So what do we think of the NESCAC preview?

http://nescac.com/sports/xc/2015-16/championship/preview

I'm predicting an Amherst win this weekend. I think people are reading too much into that Little 3's race.

1. Amherst had an off race (a week after racing very well at Open's) and still only lost by a couple points.

2. Williams' 5th runner was 10sec behind Amherst's 5th at L3's, but that didn't hurt the Ephs at all because the field was too small. At NESCACs, that can cost you 5-7 points.

Bottom line: Amherst has a higher ceiling, and a lower floor. Their best race is better than Williams' best race, but they also have a higher likelihood of racing poorly. I think they bring it on Saturday

There are so many delusional jeffs on these forums...

What makes you think Amherst has a bigger upside? And how could Williams have a lower downside when they have 6 guys who are trading off the position of 2nd man?

Wow are you predicting that Amherst or Williams will win depending on who has a better day. Congratulations! You should consider a career in running analysis.

1. Williams- They're about even with Amherst but they're the veterans and defending champions. Good coaching and good pedigree put them over Amherst.

2. Amherst- Clearly the #2 team Hussein should take 2nd. Crowley in the 4-7 range.

3. Bates- Tight solid pack.

4. Wesleyan- Been running well all year and should continue to do so on their home course. Haven't raced much this year either so they should be pretty fresh.

5. Tufts- They could throw 2 in the top 5 but not much depth after that.

6. Colby- Shame they're missing Chelimo. Slipped pretty hard as a team this year.

7. Hamilton- Seem to have a solid group of seniors.

8. Middlebury- Horrible year for them could see them mailing it in and coming in dead last.

9. Conn College- Been relatively good lately. Bosworth could come top 5

10. Bowdoin- Simply not a very good team...

11. Trinity- Only NESCAC not regionally ranked. They give our conference a bad name

This is good stuff.

Discount Creme wrote:

Wow are you predicting that Amherst or Williams will win depending on who has a better day. Congratulations! You should consider a career in running analysis.

Thought it was pretty clear I predicted Amherst would win. You should consider a career in reading comprehension.

Aaaaaaaand Amherst with the pretentious douchebaggery once again!

If anything, he as trying to save the idiocy of your post. Williams' 3-4 was 13 seconds ahead of your 3-4. Picking out the only matchup that Amherst won is, to echo a previous sentiment, delusional. The teams are evenly matched with a slight advantage to williams for being deeper through their 7th. It WILL come down to who had a better day.

Wesleyan will beat Bates and take 3rd.

Yea!!! Fvck Amherst!!!

Wise man once said wrote:

Yea!!! Fvck Amherst!!!

Amherst kids pee sitting down

And Williams kids pee in Farwell's mouth

Trinity is the flyest school around

We're taking the NESCAC crown

Williams wins the women's race, Tufts 2nd, Middlebury 3rd. Freshmen Lacy and Nadler go 1-2. Results up at cool running http://www.coolrunning.com/results/15/ct/Oct31_NESCAC_set1.shtml

Williams again. Amherst 2nd, Tufts 3rd. Hussein over Mazaheri. Results at cool running http://www.coolrunning.com/results/15/ct/Oct31_NESCAC_set2.shtml