Men's Cross Country Finishes 11th At DIII National Championship

Westfield, MA - The Brookdale men's cross country team finished 11th overall at the NJCAA DIII Championship, hosted by Holyoke Community College this past weekend.

The 8K Stanley Park course in Westfield, MA, was a tough read on the unusually warm November day. The course was a mix of flat fields, and woods with narrow paths, rocks and roots. Brookdale earned 294 total points with sophomore, Theodore Purdon, amongst the top dominant runners, finishing at 27:15 for 7th place overall. Purdon earned 2nd Team All-American two years in a row. Following Purdon over the line was freshman, Casey Brown, who finished a strong race in 29:46. Sophomore captain, Josh Seba, placed 3rd for Brookdale at 30:58, and fellow sophomore captain, Joshua Beer, finished in 4th place with a 33:17 time.

For the first time coming in 5th for the Blues and running a big-time race in 33:22, was freshman, Matt Newman. Giving it their all with strong finishes were freshmen, Jayden Morris, and Joshua Cabral.  Morris finished 6th in 33:38, and Josh crossed the line at 39:26 for 7th place. Head coach, Mike Tursi, was really pleased with his squad, and said, "This concluded one of Brookdale's more successful, and most memorable seasons ever. I am very proud of our team and it has been a pleasure to coach these young men. A huge thank you to the parents who drove four hours for our support, and a special thanks to the athletic department for their hard work and dedication in making this year a huge success."