WATERVILLE, Maine – The University of Maine at Farmington men's cross country team, winners of the last two North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Championships, have been selected by the conference's coaching staffs as the favorite to capture their third consecutive title at this weekend's NAC Championship, hosted by Husson University at Saxl Park.
Meet Overview and History
The men's championship race will feature seven teams: UMaine–Farmington, Husson, Thomas College, the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Maine Maritime Academy, Lesley University, and VTSU Lyndon. Last year's race included nine teams, but SUNY Delhi and SUNY Cobleskill have since departed from the conference.
Team scoring will be determined by the top five finishers from each school. Each runner will earn a point corresponding to their finishing position, and those five scores will be totaled to determine each team's final score — with the lowest score earning the championship.
In last year's event, the Beavers dominated en route to their second straight title, placing all five scoring runners inside the top eight.
Poll Results:
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UMaine-Farmington – 45 (6)
T-2. Thomas College – 38
T-2. Maine Maritime Academy - 38
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Husson University – 29 (1)
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Lesley University – 21
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UMaine-Presque Isle – 18
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VTSU Lyndon – 7
Season at a Glance and Beaver Runners
The Beavers have enjoyed a dominant regular season, led by junior standout Andrew LaFlamme (Nashua, N.H.). The team opened the season with a victory at the Beaver Invitational, claiming six of the top seven finishing spots. They also earned a team win at the NAC Preview Meet on October 4, placing four runners in the top six. The Beavers later finished fifth at the Maine State Championship and second at the James Earley Invitational.
LaFlamme has been named NAC Runner of the Week twice this season, collecting two individual victories and several top finishes. In addition to his first-place performances at the Beaver Invitational and NAC Preview Meet, he placed 11th at the Maine State Championship and 9th out of 193 runners at the James Earley Invitational.
This year's championship roster features a mix of returning veterans and new talent. The Beavers graduated two-time NAC Runner of the Year Justin Castaldo, along with First Team All-Conference runners Connor Freeman and Jimmy Reel. However, the team returns senior and First Team All-Conference performer James Riley (Shrewsbury, Mass.), Second Team All-Conference runner Ethan Linscott (Lakeville, Maine), junior Joseph Burgess (New Gloucester, Maine), and sophomores Alexander Gagnon (Goffstown, N.H.) and Samuel Perkins (Jay, Maine).
First-year Hans Bakke (York, Maine) joins the lineup this season and is expected to compete for a top-five team finish.
