2017 FloXC CountdownSep 5, 2017 by Dennis Young
2017 FloXC Countdown: #10 Christopher Newport Men
2017 FloXC Countdown: #10 Christopher Newport Men
2017 FloXC Countdown: #10 Christopher Newport
Follow our 2017 FloXC Countdown, where FloTrack ranks the top ten cross country teams and individuals in the NCAA this season which will be LIVE on FloTrack. The No. 10 men's spot goes to Christopher Newport, and here's why:
SR Grayson Reid (14:31 5K; 30:18 10K; 40th at '16 NCAA XC)
SR JJ Lapointe (14:53 5K; 31:04 10K; 53rd at '16 NCAA XC)
SR Jeffrey Dover (14:59 5K; 103rd at '16 NCAA XC)
SR Samuel Murch (14:53 5K; 157th at '16 NCAA XC)
SR Daniel Read (15:22 5K; 167th at '16 NCAA XC)
SO Jason Putnam (15:14 5K; 198th at '16 NCAA XC)
JR Peyton Artz (15:05 5K)
The Interamerican University of Puerto Rico competes in Division II now, but its seventh-place finish at the 1977 NCAA Division III cross country (just the fifth one ever) might be the closest a men's team from the South/Southeast Region has ever come to finishing in the top 10 at cross country nationals. We believe, in fact, that Christopher Newport's 11th-place finish from last November is the best ever by a men's team that has qualified out of the region.
So no men's team from the S/SE has ever finished in the top 10, much less made the podium. But if the Captains run to their ability, they can be as good as any team in the country outside of North Central. The only thing possibly stopping them is the very public drama the program went through with a coaching change earlier this summer; after former cross country coach Matthew Barreau led the men to the best finish in program history, he was fired. Except for Amherst, no one else in Division III has gone through turmoil so publicly this year.
New coach Sarah Lagasse says that she "took this job with my eyes wide open . . . it's impossible not to in this era of social media." And she has both the experience and the roster to weather the storm. Lagasse was an assistant coach at Williams the last three years; in that time period, the Williams men finished sixth, second, and ninth while the women sandwiched their 2015 national title with eighth- and fourth-place finishes. According to Lagasse, her new charges at Christopher Newport "have been really great . . . they've bought in. They have all the pieces. They know their potential."
That potential is tremendous. They could start the scoring with two All-Americans -- seniors Grayson Reid and JJ Lapointe were 40th and 53rd at nationals last year, making them the No. 19 and No. 26 returners, respectively. Both had excellent track seasons: Reid was seventh at indoor nationals in the 5K while Lapointe lowered his 5K PB by 23 seconds to 14:53.
That duo will be backed up by Jeffrey Dover and Samuel Murch, who are both in the top 90 returners. Four guys in the top 100 led by two in the top thirty means that this team is a podium threat if they stay healthy and run their best. But even if they finish just tenth, they'll still be the best Southern DIII men's team of all time.
FULL MEN'S RANKINGS HERE
Probable Top Four:
SR Grayson Reid (14:31 5K; 30:18 10K; 40th at '16 NCAA XC)
SR JJ Lapointe (14:53 5K; 31:04 10K; 53rd at '16 NCAA XC)
SR Jeffrey Dover (14:59 5K; 103rd at '16 NCAA XC)
SR Samuel Murch (14:53 5K; 157th at '16 NCAA XC)
Fifth Man Battle:
SR Daniel Read (15:22 5K; 167th at '16 NCAA XC)
SO Jason Putnam (15:14 5K; 198th at '16 NCAA XC)
JR Peyton Artz (15:05 5K)
Analysis:
The Interamerican University of Puerto Rico competes in Division II now, but its seventh-place finish at the 1977 NCAA Division III cross country (just the fifth one ever) might be the closest a men's team from the South/Southeast Region has ever come to finishing in the top 10 at cross country nationals. We believe, in fact, that Christopher Newport's 11th-place finish from last November is the best ever by a men's team that has qualified out of the region.
So no men's team from the S/SE has ever finished in the top 10, much less made the podium. But if the Captains run to their ability, they can be as good as any team in the country outside of North Central. The only thing possibly stopping them is the very public drama the program went through with a coaching change earlier this summer; after former cross country coach Matthew Barreau led the men to the best finish in program history, he was fired. Except for Amherst, no one else in Division III has gone through turmoil so publicly this year.
New coach Sarah Lagasse says that she "took this job with my eyes wide open . . . it's impossible not to in this era of social media." And she has both the experience and the roster to weather the storm. Lagasse was an assistant coach at Williams the last three years; in that time period, the Williams men finished sixth, second, and ninth while the women sandwiched their 2015 national title with eighth- and fourth-place finishes. According to Lagasse, her new charges at Christopher Newport "have been really great . . . they've bought in. They have all the pieces. They know their potential."
That potential is tremendous. They could start the scoring with two All-Americans -- seniors Grayson Reid and JJ Lapointe were 40th and 53rd at nationals last year, making them the No. 19 and No. 26 returners, respectively. Both had excellent track seasons: Reid was seventh at indoor nationals in the 5K while Lapointe lowered his 5K PB by 23 seconds to 14:53.
That duo will be backed up by Jeffrey Dover and Samuel Murch, who are both in the top 90 returners. Four guys in the top 100 led by two in the top thirty means that this team is a podium threat if they stay healthy and run their best. But even if they finish just tenth, they'll still be the best Southern DIII men's team of all time.
FULL MEN'S RANKINGS HERE