By Riley Crowell
Asst. Sports Editor
The Framingham State University men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the MASCAC Championships Nov. 2.
The meets were hosted by Fitchburg State University at the Doyle Conservation Area in Leominster.
Among the six men’s teams, Framingham placed fourth. Among the seven women’s teams, Framingham placed third.
Head Coach Mark Johnson said, “I think across the board, it went almost as well as it could have.”
The Rams had 12 runners competing in the men’s 8K meet and nine runners competing in the women’s 5K meet.
Leading the way for Framingham in the men’s meet was freshman Aaron Corlette with a time of 26:56.93 and a ninth-place overall finish.
Corlette said, “I feel like I exceeded my expectations a lot and it felt really great.”
Johnson said he was impressed with Corlette’s effort and attitude during the race. “He came in and ran a 52-second PR, which is a massive peak at the right time. He ran a great race.
“After the race, he came over like, ‘Hey coach, guess what? I was in first place for a solid couple seconds today!’... I love that he’s willing and confident enough to go out and try to take that,” he added.
Corlette’s time placed him 2nd all-time on the Framingham men’s cross country 8K leaderboard.
Johnson said, “Seeing that he took the number two all-time on our Framingham State record board … incredible for a freshman to come in and do.”
This was the fourth time being the Rams’ top finisher this season for Corlette - an incredible feat for the rookie standout.
Corlette said, “I’ve improved a lot. Coming into the year, I knew I had to stay focused. The biggest keys to that have been my teammates and coaches believing in me and making me feel comfortable.”
His stellar season and performance at the MASCAC Championships earned him MASCAC All-Conference honors.
Corlette said it means a lot to him to be recognized by the conference, especially as a freshman. He added it shows his hard work is paying off.
Finishing second for Framingham in the men’s meet was freshman Vincent Gauthier with a time of 28:22.77 and a 19th-place overall finish.
Gauthier, who is also having an impressive freshman season, holds the 5th spot all-time on the Framingham men’s cross country 8K leaderboard, which he achieved with his 27:25 time at the Travis Fuller Invitational earlier this season.
Johnson said it’s awesome knowing that he has two of the top five 8K runners in FSU history in Corlette and Gauthier for the next three years.
Graduate student Patrick Walsh ended his FSU cross country career with a bang - finishing third among Framingham men’s runners and 23rd overall with a time of 28:40.12.
Johnson said, “I think Pat has done a great job this year, kind of being the ‘big brother’ on the team and having someone who has been there and done that with all the courses that we go to.
“I think it’s been incredible for Vincent, Aaron, Robert, and all of the guys on our team to have that person to look up to,” he added.
Leading the way for the Rams in the women’s meet was junior Meghan Johnston with a time of 20:19.61 and an 11th-place overall finish.
Johnson said the most impressive thing about Johnston is “her resilience and willingness to just push herself to the limit year after year - come into camp and just push through any challenge that comes up.
“She’s done a great job just going through practice every day, coming in with the right mentality, and bringing her teammates along, too,” he added.
Finishing second for Framingham in the women’s meet was sophomore Kate Buban with a time of 20:52.41 and a 15th-place overall finish.
Buban said, “This is the best season that I’ve had with consistency. “I gave it my all. … Although I’m not amazed at my time, I’m proud of my effort,” she added. Sophomore Natalie Grimaldo placed 16th overall with a time of 20:57.43. Freshman Grace Avery followed closely behind in 17th place with a time of 21:04.39. Avery said, “I think that the MASCAC Championships went really well.” Avery added that her consistent performances have been a result of her hard work. “I feel that I have improved a lot this season. The biggest keys to my success have been trusting the training and process.” The rolling hills of the course provided a challenging environment for the runners, but Johnson said he was happy with how his team handled it. “I thought the team did really well adapting to it and just going with the mentality that everyone is running the same course.” Buban said, “I think the course was the hilliest course we’ve done throughout the season. On mile two, there was an uphill that I found challenging.” Avery said, “This course was a good test of our mental and physical toughness.“ With the MASCAC Championships behind them, Framingham cross country will return to a familiar course when they travel to Hopkinton, New Hampshire to compete in the NCAA Regionals Nov. 16. The NCAA Regionals will be hosted by Suffolk University and take place at Hopkinton State Fair Grounds - the same location the Rams raced at in 2023. Johnson hopes the prior experience with the course will be able to help the runners this year. With chilly conditions expected on the day of the meet, Johnson said the keys to success for his team are “dressing appropriately, fueling our bodies going in, and just controlling the things that we can control.” The Rams will send seven runners on both the men’s and women’s teams to compete at the NCAA Regionals. Avery said, “I am feeling super confident and ready to race. I am excited that I have the opportunity to race with my team again before the season ends.” Johnson said, “I’m honestly very excited for it. The team has put in so much work.” Corlette said, “I feel calm and relaxed. I know I’m going to have fun at the regionals race.” Buban said, “I’m excited for spending the last few weeks of the season with the team and closing out with a bang.” Johnson said his message to the team is, “Have some fun - it’s an NCAA Championship. You only get to race in so many of those in your career. Take that in - you’re racing against the best of the best in New England.”