Story courtesy of Rob Palardy, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. - On a beautiful day at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth Invitational, the Lesley University men's and women's cross country teams accomplished personal bests and broke school records.
Senior Fran Cusick (LEXINGTON, Mass./Arlington Catholic) beat his own personal best by 40 seconds and in the process set the Lesley men's cross country record for an 8K race with a stellar time of 26:08. Cusick came in 50th place overall, averaging 5:14 per mile.
Cusick's freshman teammate Dillon Simmons (MIDDLEBORO, Mass./Middleboro) made a bit of history as well, as he broke the freshman record for an 8K race. Simmons clocked in at 31:45 beating the previous record by five seconds.
On the women's side, Noa Kupfer (WOODBRIDGE, Conn./Amity Regional) broke the record in a 5K race for a freshman Lesley runner. Her time of 19:55 shattered the previous mark of 20:51 held by former runner Charlotte Goff. Kupfer came in 69th place overall.
Also running a solid race was Jess Arnold (HILTON, N.Y./Hilton) who crossed the finish line at 22:17.
The Lynx will next compete in the Blazer Invitational at Chicopee Memorial State Park for the chance to run against some fellow New England Collegiate Conference teams. Chicopee Memorial State Park will also be the site of the NECC Championships.
To learn more about the Lesley University men's and women's cross country programs, please visit their website.