Men’s Cross Country Starts 2023 with Short Course Classic

BOSTON – Suffolk men's cross country is set to take the course for the first time in 2023 Friday, Sept. 1 at its own Short Course Classic at Franklin Park. The women's 3k event at 11:30 a.m., precedes the men's 5k gun at 12:15 p.m. Fans can follow the race live here. 

SOCIAL SAYINGS
Ram Nation has a chance to keep up with all the latest news and notes on Suffolk Athletics, its student-athletes and teams by following the Rams on  Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Fans are encouraged to use the hashtag #RamNation a behind-the-scene look at Suffolk Athletics.

RAMS RINGLEADERS
Suffolk men's cross country will be under the leadership of senior co-captains Tim Barry and Kely Maloney in 2023 head coach Will Feldman announced. 

Barry returns to his post after earning the captain title a year ago, while Maloney takes on the position for the first time in his collegiate career. The members of Suffolk's Class of 2024 are the third set of captains in the Feldman era.  

MORE READING: Barry, Maloney to Captain Men's Cross Country in 2023

RAMS ROOKIES
Suffolk men's cross country's veteran-heavy roster will have an added boost from two new freshmen as Cam Fredette and Matthew McGoldrick join the Rams' fold for the 2023 campaign, head coach Will Feldman unveiled.  

MORE READING: Men's Cross Country Welcomes Pair in 2023 

GEOGRAPHY 101
Suffolk's men's cross country 20-runner 2023 roster has a geographical make-up that spans nine states. 

The bulk of the Rams call the Bay State home with eight Massachusetts natives. Three hail from Connecticut and a pair made the trip from California and New Jersey, respectively.  Arizona, Illinois, Mississippi, New Hampshire and Washington are represented by one runner apiece. 

CLASS CATEGORIES
Suffolk's 2023 men's cross country roster is senior-class heavy with 10 members of the Class of 2024. Five juniors round out the upperclassmen, which is the bulk of the 20-runner roster that features a trio ofo sophomores and two true freshmen. 

COACH'S CORNER
Will Feldman returns for his seventh season at the helm of the Suffolk cross country and track & field programs. 

He has brought the Rams to regional and national success in his short term at the helm. His cross country highlights feature back-to-back CCC Women's Cross Country Championships and the University's first USTFCCCA All-American in cross country, Matyas Csiki-Fejer, who raced to the feat in 2021. 

To aid Feldman on a full-time basis, the program added Associate Head Coach Kerstin Darsney over the off season. 

Josh Brodin is back on Feldman's staff for his sixth season as an assistant coach, while former Rams runners Cole Bolduc and Justin Turner came back to the team in a coaching position this season.  

THE COURSE
Franklin Park has turned into a familiar run for Suffolk. The partially-wooded 527-acre parkland in the Jamaica Plain and Roxbury neighborhoods of Boston is maintained by the Department of Conservation and creation. 

THE FIELD
The field features a representative from every NCAA Division with 15 teams total sending student-athletes to Franklin Park.  

The Rams will be joined by CCC counterparts Nichols and the University of New England. Husson, Johnson & Wales, Plymouth State, Rivier, Salve Regina, Thomas and WPI complete the Division III competition. Assumption and Bentley represent the Division II contingent, while local Division I programs UConn, Northeastern and Stonehill will be in the mix as well.  

TO BE THE BEST YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE BEST
Suffolk, who sits ninth in the preseason USTFCCCA Division III East Regional Rankings, has stiff competition come Friday as Assumption (#2 DII East Region), Northeastern (#8 DI Northeast Region), Plymouth State (#7 DIII East Region) and WPI (#5 DIII East Region) all sit in their respective regional rankings as well. 

THE DISTANCE
Things will be kept short and sweet in the season debut. The women will run a 3k, while the men will compete in a 5k.  

COACH'S QUOTES
About the Meet and the Competition
"We're excited to be hosting the Suffolk Short Course Classic again this year. We've had very competitive fields the last two seasons and this year is no different. We have a great mix of Division I, Division II and Division III schools attending, which should make for some intense racing.

About the Rams
"Friday will provide us with an opportunity to shake off the rust and reacclimate to racing against some top-level competition. This year's squad is focused on finally breaking through and capturing the CCC title after back-to-back second-place finishes. This team has gained a lot of valuable experience over the last two years, along with plenty of heart break (those second-place finishes). They're fit and focused coming into the season and are ready to contend for a title this year."  

RAMS TO WATCH

• Out front expect to see the trio of Tim Barry, Thomas Novy and Hayden Green. 
• Kely Maloney should be close behind the front threesome. According to head coach Will Feldman, "Maloney returned in the best shape of his life."
• Luke Sikora and Sean Jacobsen should be on Maloney's heels.
• Freshman Cam Fredette "will be the wild card for us this year," Feldman said. "He has an impressive high school resume, and on paper should be a top five finisher for us. 
• Others to keep an eye on who will battling for a top 7 spot for the Rams will be Jacob Dubin, Shea Duffy and Conor Garrity. "Those three seniors have been putting in the work all summer, and are primed for a big performance Friday," said Feldman.

REGIONAL RANK
Just over a week away from the first race of 2023, the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) unveiled the preseason edition of the NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Regional Rankings with the Rams of Suffolk University ninth on the east region list, the national organization announced. 

MORE READING: Men's Cross Country Ranked Ninth in East in USTFCCCA Preseason Rankings

SUFFOLK'S SCHEDULE
Suffolk takes next weekend off to prep for the Bates Invitational Saturday, Sept. 16.