Falcons To Hit Ground Running

Courtesy of Matt Stewart, Sentinel & Enterprise

FITCHBURG -- With a record 33 athletes on the Fitchburg State University men's cross country roster, the Falcons will not have to look far to find some talent among its ranks.

Fitchburg State men's cross country preview

The question surrounding the team is whether FSU can sneak up on the favorites in the MASCAC championship.

Fitchburg State enters the season predicted to finish third in the eight-team conference, and is hoping to start the season off right at Keene State on Saturday.

"We have some strong returners from last year," Fitchburg State University head coach Jim Jellison said. "We have 13 new guys on the team, for a total of 33. We'll have a battle for the seven (scoring) spots so we should be pretty good this year. We were ranked third in the preseason rankings, but I guarantee you that we are going to push those other teams."

Local product Eric Ouellette returns as the Falcons' top threat. The junior Oakmont Regional alum returns after finishing an impressive fourth overall at last year's MASCAC championship meet with a 26-minute, 41-second time.

"(Ouellette) has been working hard," Jellison said. "His goal is to have a shot at going to nationals by being in the top 35 at the qualifying meet. He's a much better cross country runner. He did a time trial today (in the 5,000 meters) at 16:23."

Other top five team performers returning from last year's MASCAC, include sophomore Tim Allen and junior Jim Quinlan. Allen finished fifth at MASCAC's (28:32), while Quinlan placed fourth (28:20) at the meet at Westfield State.

One of the more promising aspects of the Fitchburg State lineup is that there are very few seniors, so the team is trending towards the future. Despite the youth factor there is one senior in particular who is looking to make a big splash in his final go-around.

Tyngsboro native and senior captain Larry Teague will likely be one of the top seven performers for the Falcons this year, and he hopes to instill a culture passed down to him from veterans of the past.

"The work ethic is kicking in," Teague said. "We have a lot of new and talented freshman coming this year. On top of that some of our returners have been working hard over the summer, and are coming into the season in the best shape in their lives."

Sophomore Sam Carroll, a Brockton High alum, might be Fitchburg State's most improved athlete from last year, according to what Jellison sees so far in this young season.

FSU will likely get a boost from a strong incoming class of newcomers, which includes nine true freshmen. Keying the youth surge will be New Hampshire native Vincent Tevnan, a 6-foot-1 freshman.

Greenfield native Colen Stack will also contribute, along with 6-foot-2 freshman Brandon Hannon, who comes to FSU by way of Pelham, N.H.

"(Tevnan) and (Hannon) are going to challenge Ouellette for the top spot on the team," Jellison said. "It's going to be a dogfight for our top seven. Tim Allen was one of our top performers last year, and it's going to be a dogfight for him to get in there this year. It's probably going to be the most competitive to be in the top seven than it's been in a while."

Other key newcomers include Matt Cuomo and Rawson Randlett. Cuomo is a Concord-Carlisle product, while Randlett is a Plymouth native.

"It was a very good recruiting year," Jellison said. "(Assistant coach) Chris (Kibler) worked hard, and I worked hard. We got a lot of kids for both cross country and track."

Graduation put a bit of a dent in the Falcons' top ranks. Will Lary was one of the team's studs for the last four years, and Mike Grasela was just as pivotal. But with the infusion of the young talent, and improvement of the past athletes, Jellison feels that the Falcons will not take a step back this year.

"(Grasela) is a perfect example of what some of our freshmen are going to do now," Jellison said. "He was at level four coming out of high school, and by the time he was a senior was at level one. I think when this incoming group is seniors, you are going to see a really awesome group of seniors."