Jesse Faller, Men's Cross Country
Junior Jesse Faller continued his stellar season for the men's cross country team, winning the 41st annual Codfish Bowl at Franklin Park in Boston on Saturday. Faller defeated the field of 155 runners with a time of 25:42, just three seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, Nicholas Kolyet of the New York Institute of Technology. Junior tri-captain Nick Welch was not far behind Faller, crossing the finish line fourth with a time of 25:54.
Although the team had planned to race at the Conn. College Invitational, they were forced to make last-minute arrangements when the competition was cancelled due to rain. Despite their late entry, the Jumbos finished second out of 17 teams. Their total of 76 points was second only to the Greater Boston Track Club's total of 49.
In Faller's only other race this year, he finished fourth out of 148 competitors at the Trinity Invitational. He was the only member of the team to earn All-American honors last year, when he finished 18th at NCAA Div. III Championships. Prior to this race, Faller's highest finish in his Jumbo career had been second place, which he achieved in his first collegiate competition at the 2007 Trinity Invitational.
Julia Browne, Women's Tennis
Sophomore tennis phenom Julia Browne opened the fall season with a bang, emerging victorious at the ITA New England Region Singles Championship this weekend at MIT and finishing as a runner-up in the doubles bracket playing alongside junior captain Meghan McCooey. Browne, the No. 4 seed coming into the singles tournament, won six matches over the three-day schedule including a resounding 7-5, 6-0 defeat of No. 3 seed and MIT junior Leslie Hansen in the singles final.
Browne's road to the finals included a major semifinal upset of senior Cary Gibson from Williams, who was the runner-up in last May's NCAA Div. III Singles Championship. The Jumbo second-year came back from a first-set loss to overcome her Eph foe 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 to set up her championship duel with Hansen yesterday.
Browne, who was an All-American and the ITA Northeast Region Rookie of the Year last year, surrendered only one set — during her contest against Gibson — over her six matches and now will advance to the Small College Nationals in Mobile, Ala. later this year.
In doubles play, Browne and McCooey also reached the tournament final but were unable to seal the victory against the No.1 seeded tandem from Gibson and sophomore Nikki Reich from Williams. The Ephs are the defending Div. III Champions.
