Cross Country Teams Turn In Strong Showing At UMass-Dartmouth Invitational

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. -- The Babson College cross country teams both enjoyed sensational performances at the 2011 UMass-Dartmouth Invitational on Saturday, as both squads turned in their highest team finish ever at the annual event. The men finished ninth out of 27 scoring teams, while the women tied for 12th out of 37 scoring squads.

The women's race featured brilliant runs by junior Charlotte Margel and senior Michelle Black, who were each named to the All-Invitational Team. Margel turned in a run of 19:09 to finish 13th overall, while Black followed in 21st place with a personal-best time of 19:21.

Also breaking the 20-minute barrier was first-year Marina Capalbo, who finished 28th overall in 19:25 in her collegiate 5k debut. The rest of the Beavers' scoring runners included sophomores Michelle Chin, who placed 151st in 21:22, and Imani Smith, who took 159th in 21:31. Junior Jess Lack also ran well in the varsity race, posting a personal record of 22:24.

First-year Mark Gulesian was outstanding in his first full length collegiate race, as he placed 21st with a time of 25:36 to earn All-Invitational honors. Sophomore Brian deLeon added a 52nd-place performance in 26:34, followed by a slew of personal bests. Junior Jake Williams finished 71st with a PR of 26:49, sophomore Nate Kolman followed in 74th with a PR of 25:56, sophomore Will Hallock came in 87th with a PR of 27:08, senior Andrew Oram placed 95th with a PR of 27:22, and sophomore Eddy Arechabala finished 122nd with a PR of 27:46. Babson also received a personal record in the men's JV race, as junior Scott Worth matched his previous best with a time of 29:46.