GLASSBORO, NJ (November 12, 2016) – The Vassar College men's cross country team has seen a resurgence this season, as strong recruiting and hard work have paid off in some of the best results for the program in recent history. Head coach James McCowan saw his men's squad have another strong outing on Saturday, finishing 10^th out of 44 teams at the NCAA Atlantic Regional, hosted by Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ.
 
The 8k course was fairly flat, which lent itself to some strong times, as Vassar moved up from 15^th place in 2015 and 22^nd two seasons ago. Despite being down two impact runners coming into the season, Vassar still forged forward and saw big time contributions from multiple runners over multiple classes.
 
Vassar finished the day with 307 points, topping Rochester Institute of Technology by 19 points while finishing 49 points behind Ithaca College for ninth place. Vassar put its top five scorers in the top 78 scoring positions, a feat only seven teams accomplished on Saturday.
 
Through the opening 552 meters of the race, Vassar was looking very strong as the pack stuck tight, as VC was fifth through the very early going of the competition. At the first split, Michael Scarlett was in 29^th place, followed closely by freshman Adin Becker and fellow junior Philip Brown.
 
The Brewers dropped off the pace, moving into eighth place after the 2k split, but Vassar would stabilize thank over the middle part of the race. Vassar moved up from 10^th place to ninth after the 5k marker, as Scarlett, Becker, junior Jesse Schatz, senior Gabe Fishman and junior Jared Freedman all picked up the pace.
 
Scarlett would move into the top 40 at the four-mile marker, and VC remained in ninth place, but Ithaca was able to catch the Brewers at the final tape. Despite dropping a spot, Vassar still accomplished a seasonal goal of earning a spot in the top 10.
 
Saturday's competition marked the 15^th consecutive start for Scarlett that he has brought the Brewers over the finish line, as he chalked up a final time of 25:30.9 for 44^th overall place. The time was a personal best on a 8k course, eclipsing the 25:36.57 run at the Bill Fritz Invitational earlier this year.
 
Becker finished as the Region's top freshman runner on Saturday, as he also broke his personal best after placing 49^th overall with a time of 25:38.2. Brown was the next runner through the tape for Vassar, as the junior chalked up a time of 25:56.3, another personal best for the Brewers.
Another personal best came seconds later, as Schatz rushed across the line in 71^st place with a time of 26:01.7. The personal best time marked the second straight race that Schatz has broken his PR, as he ran a 26:22.3 at the Liberty League Championships.
 
Fishman finished his cross country career on Saturday with another gutty, strong race, the calling card of the senior captain. Determined, Fishman was steady throughout the race and clocked a 26:05.6 for a personal best time, placing 78^th. The time was nearly five seconds better than his previous time, set at the Bill Fritz Invitational September 17.
 
Vassar's final two runners across the tape were Freedman and sophomore Ry Blume, who each came on late in the race, improving on the final three split marker times. Freedman would take 133^rd place, moving up from 144^th midway through, to clock a time of 26:44.3 for an 8k personal-best. Freedman was a last minute replacement for Luke Arsenault, who was scratched due to a lower body injury.
 
Blume also ran a personal-best time of 26:44.6 on Saturday, besting his previous by nearly 50 seconds, as he finished in 134^th place. "The teams that beat us today really ran amazing - while we didn't match that ranking, we really still ran well," said McCowan. "There is a saying: you don't rise to the competition, you sink to your level of preparation. These guys have worked so hard, commutes so deeply, they can't run poorly – and that the team has moved up year after year is proof of that."
 
"Super proud of these guys," said McCowan. "Also of the alum who came out to support them, and all the work they are doing. With all but one retuning next year, we are ready to keep making big things happen – one step at a time!"