by Jim Mullins
Assistant Director
Sports Information
August 30, 1999

Junior Jeff Reed's emergence as a top cross country runner will lead UMass Dartmouth in 1999 season

(Dartmouth, MA) - Coach Jon Hird's two-year rebuilding effort should finally bear fruit this season if everything falls into place for the men's cross country team at UMass Dartmouth.

Entering his 12th season on the Dartmouth campus, Hird has several veterans returning for the 1999 season with plenty of experience gained over the last two seasons. The Corsairs have three key runners back from last year's team which placed 24th in the NCAA Division III regionals and fourth in the Little East/New England Alliance Championships.

"Jeff Reed (Westport, MA) is emerging as one of the best distance runners in the New England Alliance," said Hird, about his junior captain, who will lead UMass Dartmouth this Fall.

Reed, who also served as team captain as a sophomore last season, will be joined on the roster by a mix of veterans and newcomers, giving the Corsairs some much-needed depth.

Senior Pat Gallagher (Fairhaven, MA) returns for his third season with the Corsairs and senior Josh Hill (Templeton, MA), a transfer student from Worcester State, will lend three years experience with the Lancers as he looks to finish his cross country career on a high note.

Though felled by an untimely stress fracture during his freshman season, sophomore Brian Akeley (Lynn, MA) returns to the Corsairs' lineup this Fall. Hird will be looking to Akeley for a major contribution as the Corsairs look to climb back to the top of the Little East-New England Alliance group, which consists of schools from the Little East Conference and the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference.

Hird will also be looking for contributions from a group of newcomers for the 1999 season. Chief among the first-year runners is Matt McDonald (Holyoke, MA), who has shown great promise in limited high school action in both cross country and track at Holyoke Catholic HS. Freshman Adam Miller (Stoneham, MA) could also play a big part in the Corsairs success as could freshman Jeremy Nute (Westborough, MA). Hird also will look for a contribution from sophomore James Paquette (Seekonk, MA), a transfer student his fall.

UMass Dartmouth opens the 1999 season with the Wheaton College Relays on Sept. 4, followed by the Tufts University Invitational on Sept. 11. The Corsairs will again host the annual UMass Dartmouth Invitational on Saturday Sept. 18. The annual Little East Conference/Alliance Championships will be contested on Saturday, Oct. 30 at Keene State College.