Men’s cross country places fifth at A-10 Championship, Clark Most Outstanding Rookie
The Saint Joseph’s University men’s cross country team competed in the Atlantic 10 Championship in Richmond, Va. on Oct. 29, placing fifth out of 14 teams. The Hawks finished with 130 points and an average time of 25:32; the University of Dayton placed first with 57 points and an average time of 25:05.
Redshirt junior captain Dan Savage led the Hawks with a 17th place finish, completing the five-mile race in 25:21.7. Savage placed 22nd in last season’s Atlantic 10 Championship, and 84th in 2013.
Freshman Josh Clark placed 23rd overall to clock in as St. Joe’s number two runner. Clark’s time of 25:29.8 was the best time by any rookie, and he was the only freshman to place in the top 25. The finish earned Clark the A-10 Most Outstanding Rookie Award.
“It felt good,” Clark said of winning the award. “It definitely let me know I came to the right school and I got the right coach, and that I’m just going to keep progressing as the years go by.”
Clark’s praise of Head Coach Mike Glavin comes at an opportune time: On Oct. 27, Glavin was inducted into the Camden County Sports Hall of Fame for the 10 years he spent as the Head Coach at Paul VI High School in Haddonfield, N.J.
Clark changed his racing habits for the A-10 Championship, partially based on advice from Glavin.
“Coach Glavin wanted me to go out a little harder at the race because I usually go out a little more conservative,” Clark said. “Throughout the race, I just tried to keep moving forward, not just keep running, but actually be racing with the people around me and get as close as possible to the front.”
Senior Jimmy Daniels came in right behind Clark with a time of 25:31.9, placing 24th. Junior David Dorsey followed with a time of 25:35.8 for 29th place, and senior John Mascioli rounded out the scoring for the Hawks with a 37th-place finish in 25:43.5.
Sophomore Justin Branco and junior Collin Crilly finished as St. Joe’s number six and seven runners, with times of 25:48.5 and 25:51.4, respectively.
“I was hoping that we’d do a little better [overall], but there’s always next year,” Clark said. “I feel like going into next year, we’ll definitely be ready. We had a lot of guys this year that I was kind of like their first year doing A-10s, but I feel like that experience is just going to help us want to get the title more next year.”
According to Clark, he never felt pressure from the team to be the top performer, but the atmosphere of the team made him want to succeed.
“Ever since I met the team, I’ve felt really close with them,” Clark said. “It’s made it easy for me to want to compete, and it’s brought out the best in me as an athlete.”
The Hawks will compete in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship on Nov. 11, which will be held at State College, Pa.
“I think [the goal] is just to compete,” Clark said. “Obviously, we’re not the top team, but the better we can do in that race, I feel like it will just set us up for next year, and try to make it up to nationals and just be better as a group and represent St. Joe’s on a high level.”
