The Tripod

Senior co-captain Sam Moorhead led the Bantams by placing 16th overall. Courtesy of Sam Moorhead [Click to enlarge]

The Trinity College men's cross country team left Hartford, Conn. on Wednesday, Nov. 19, to travel to their third-consecutive National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships in Hanover, Ind. They returned after midnight three days later with a pair of All-Americans and the best team finish in the history of the college.

The team entered the meet ranked 18th in the national polls, and far exceeded expectations when they placed seventh overall. Senior co-captain Sam Moorhead led the Trinity squad with a 16th place finish. He ran the nearly five-mile course in a time of 24:48, just 24 seconds off of champion Peter Kosgei '10 of Hamilton College. Hunter Norte '09, the team's other captain, finished four seconds behind Moorhead in 24th place. Both runners' strong races earned them All-American honors.

Moorhead and Norte have continually been at the front of races during their entire Trinity careers, and for the past two seasons have been the team's top two runners and one of the most dynamic tandems in the region. Their successes have led Trinity to one of the most impressive stretches in the program's history. Both athletes have been bestowed with numerous accolades and titles during their four years, and their presence will undoubtedly be missed next year.

A contingent of underclassman followed Moorhead and Norte to fill Trinity's third, fourth and fifth scoring spots. Sophomore Brendan Powers came in 68th place at 25:21.96, freshman Michael Burnstein finished 92nd at 25:34.67, and sophomore Blake Fisher was 188th at 26:08.28. Powers and Burnstein have routinely filled the third and fourth spots on the team this year.

Powers was a member of the varsity team last season, but after an impressive inaugural track showing, he developed into an impressive cross country and distance runner. With his 92nd place showing, Burnstein was the sixth freshman in the nation, and looks to be a top runner in the future. His strong performances this year not only provided important depth, but, together, he and Powers have proven up to the challenge of taking Moorhead and Norte's places once they graduate.

Fisher did not run in the New England Regional Championships due to an unfortunate clerical error, and coming into the NCAA's, he was on a three-week hiatus from racing. Yet the break did not appear to faze him as he put in one of the strongest races of his career.

After a long, grueling, and ultimately rewarding season, the men do not have much of a break. Their indoor track season begins this weekend when they compete at the Lidlifter Invitational at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.

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