<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0EFAkc_0vkQbjAS00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0EFAkc_0vkQbjAS00" width="1080" height="608" ><figcaption>Second-year Garrett Hartline finished 21st overall at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational. PHOTO CREDIT: Gorhody.com</figcaption></figure>On Saturday the University of Rhode Island men’s cross country team competed in their second meet of the season, placing fourth in the 8-kilometer run at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.URI was one of 44 schools who competed. In the crowded field, the Rams managed to separate themselves from the pack and place fourth overall at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational. This was just the Rams’ second meet of the season, but their last before championship season starts. The invitational provided URI with a chance to run an 8k prior to the New England Championship, something their first meet didn’t do.UMass Dartmouth also gave the Rams a chance to compete against a much larger field. Back on Sept. 6 The Friar Invitational only had 48 runners compared to the 340 that competed in Dartmouth. Between the two meets, the Rams have now had a chance to see some of their competition that they will once again see at the New England Championship.However, their opponents didn’t see much of the Rams as only six members of their team competed on Saturday. URI’s Coach Brian Doyle is looking ahead and is prioritizing the New England Championship, which is on Oct. 12.“You want to go into it more fresh and that is going to help more than anything,” Doyle said. “An 8k race takes so much out of you so some of our guys, we wanted [them] to just have training instead.”The Rams top finisher at UMass Dartmouth was third-year Lars Hogne with a time of 25:24.53. This time would have placed Hogne seventh in last year’s New England Championship, almost a minute better than his time in that very meet. This season Hogne not only improved but has taken on more responsibilities for the Rams and has trained appropriately according to Doyle.“He hit 100 miles in a week for the first time a couple weeks ago,” Doyle said. “When you train like that you feel like a monster, you’re indestructible, that’s been the fruit of his confidence.”Hogne’s confidence is a shared feeling amongst the entire cross country team and it seems to be a direct result of their training according to Hogne.“I’m happy that my body is adjusting well and everything finally seems to be clicking,” Hogne said. “A lot of the guys on the team seem to be doing well with their training as well.”With things now flowing for Hogne he hopes to make huge improvements to his times in championship season, something he was unhappy about a year ago.“Last year I had a pretty rough showing at New England,” Hogne said. “It’s a team sport and one person can affect everything and I want to be as helpful as I can.”If Hogne repeats his UMass Dartmouth performance at the New England Championship he’ll have a strong chance to make the All-New England team, a personal goal of his.Last season the Rams used the same training regime and they would go on to win the New England Championship for the first time since 1952. They primarily did so behind fifth-year Ben Fleishcer, he was the team’s leader in many ways. Whether it was vocally or by example the team followed behind Fleischer according to Doyle. Fleischer won the event outright and now without him the Rams will have to find a new way to win. Their plan; focus on the depth of this new roster.“I think this year will be kind of a reverse situation, we’re going to need to kill people with our backend,” Doyle said. “We’re going to need guys like Lars, Nathan Masi, Jesse Principe, or Tony Capalbo to all kind of step up.”Doyle and Hogne believe that this team is capable of great things. They cited the talent of the young runners of his team. In the previous season both second-years Garrett Hartline and Nick Martin were Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team members. The team also brought in fifth-year transfer Joe DosReis and returners such as fourth-year Owen Fleischer and fifth-year Nathan Masi. All of these athletes provide the Rams with more depth than have seen in recent years according to Doyle.With the depth of this current roster and internal improvements the Rams now look ahead to the championship season. The teams next meet will be the New England Championship on Oct. 12 in Hopkinton, New Hampshire.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Light squad exceeds in tune-up meet ahead of men’s cross country championships

On Saturday the University of Rhode Island men’s cross country team competed in their second meet of the season, placing fourth in the 8-kilometer run at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. URI was one of 44 schools who competed. In the crowded field, the Rams managed to separate themselves...