Seton Hall University
Monmouth XC Kick-Off
Walsh Leads Third-Place Finish for MXC
8/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
LINCROFT, N.J. - The Seton Hall men's cross country team recorded a total of six top-25 individual finishes at the 6K Monmouth XC Kick-Off on Saturday, claiming third-place in the 2014 fall opener.
On the heels of a stellar spring on the track, senior captain Kevin Walsh (Deltaville, Va.) recorded the first team-leading performance of his career, establishing a new personal record with a time of 19:53.2 that was good enough for 12th-place.
Freshman Jeff Larson (Yucca Valley, Calif.) was not far behind in his debut for The Hall, clocking in at 19:56.3 to claim 14th-place. Classmate Bryant Cordova (Elizabeth, N.J.) continued the steady precession of Pirates across the line, picking up a 16th-place finish with a time of 20:02.6.
Only four finishers separated Cordova from the pair of runners that rounded out the scoring contingent for Seton Hall on the first day of the new season as senior John Walsh (Deltaville, Va.) finished in 20:10.9 (21st-place), less than three seconds and just one spot ahead of newcomer Jake Simon (Freehold, N.J.) who logged a time of 20:13.2 in his first collegiate appearance.
Walsh's effort improved upon his previous personal record at the distance by over a minute and marked his first scoring effort in the last three seasons.
The collective performances helped lift the Pirates to a third consecutive top-three team finish at the event and marked the second-straight year that three freshmen have finished among the top-five on the squad in the first race of the fall.
Sophomore Sean Kip (Union, N.J.) posted a time of 20:22.0 to finish 24th overall, recording the fifth top-25 effort of his young career.
A 20:26.4 showing from freshman Jimmy Sause (Bloomfield, N.J.) marked the 27th-fastest performance on the men's side as the Pirates joined team champions Monmouth as the only squads to land seven finishers within the top-30.
The Hawks secured the team title by occupying seven of the top-10 positions, highlighted by individual champion Alex Leight who completed the course in 19:09.7.
The Hall will return to action next Sunday, September 7 at the St. John's-Hofstra Fall Festival in Oakdale, N.Y.
