Minutemen and Minutewomen release 2007 schedule

Cross Country
Mike Gillmeister

The coaches for the Massachusetts men's and women's cross country teams have released the schedules for the 2007 season.

All-conference runners last season, seniors Nils Fischer and Christina Derosa lead their teams into the Dartmouth Invitational, the first meet of the season, on Sept. 8 in Hanover, N.H. Last season, both teams took third place in the meet. Derosa finished ahead of all Minutewomen, earning a fourth-place finish. Sophomore Nicolai Naranjo will come back to the place where he impressed in his collegiate debut, taking first place overall.

After their first home meets of the season on Sept. 15, the Minutemen and Minutewomen will travel to Lehigh University to take part in the Paul Short Invitational, one of the most prestigious meets in the country. Neither UMass cross country team took part in this meet last season.

The next meet for either team will be the New England Championships, on Oct. 6. Then-sophomore Jesse Regnier took 13th place overall, leading the Maroon and White to an eighth-place finish overall. Derosa finished 32nd overall, leading the Minutewomen to a 16th-place finish.

The Albany Invitational will be held on Oct. 13. Last season, junior Mark Kenwood placed 54th overall, leading the Minutemen to a 12th-place finish. Derosa led all Minutewomen with an 18th-place finish. The Minutewomen went on to earn a ninth-place finish in the meet.

On Oct. 27, both teams will take part in the Atlantic 10 Championships in which the Minutemen took third place overall in 2006, while the Minutewomen finished sixth. Last year, Fischer earned a ninth-place finish in the men's race while Derosa finished 10th overall in the women's race.

The Minutemen and Minutewomen will face some of the best collegiate teams in the country on Nov. 10. Last season, Regnier was the first Minuteman to cross the finish line, taking 54th place overall. Derosa finished in 21st place overall, ahead of any other Minutewoman.

The Maroon and White will compete in its last meet of the season on Nov. 17, at the IC4A Championship meet. Regnier lead the Minutemen to an 11th-place finish, taking 22nd overall for the men. Eilis Kierans capped off her first year of competitive collegiate running, finishing 52nd overall for the women.