Seton Hall University
Leopard Invitational
MXC Takes Second at Leopard Invitational
10/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
EASTON, PA. - Five members of the Seton Hall men's cross country team placed among the top-20 Division I competitors at the Leopard Invitational on Saturday, helping the Pirates to a second-place team finish.
The recurring themes of the 2014 season for the Seton Hall men have been the resurgence of seniors John Walsh (Deltaville, Va.) and Kevin Walsh (Deltaville, Va.) along with the impact of the squad's talented newcomers and the trip to Lafayette added another yet another act to the script.
John Walsh entered the meet with a career-high four scoring times under his belt and at the 8K meet in Easton; he finished with his first team-leading time after reaching the line in 27:52.29 to rank seventh among Division I entrants.
Kevin Walsh, the team's top finisher on three occasions this year in his own right, was part of a Seton Hall duo that immediately followed John Walsh to the line. Freshman Bryant Cordova (Elizabeth, N.J.) placed eighth 28:09.74 to record a career-best second-place team finish while Kevin Walsh clocked in less than five seconds later in ninth.
Limited by injuries over the last two campaigns, John and Kevin Walsh have combined for 11 scoring times in 2014 and have led The Hall in four out of six meets.
Another newcomer in Jeff Larson (Yucca Valley, Calif.) clocked in just outside the top-10 with a 28:25.46 mark that earned him the fourth scoring time of his debut season and second in as many weeks.
Two places later, junior Ryan Flannery (Forked River, N.J.) closed out the Seton Hall top-five with an 8K mark of 28:32.00. A team leader who finished among The Hall's top-five eight times in 2013, Flannery has now contributed to the team score in three consecutive races.
With the runner-up team performance, the Pirates have now collected four top-two finishes as a group this season.
Heading into the 2014 BIG EAST Championship; the Seton Hall men are poised to climb the conference leaderboard on the strength of a roster that includes eight different team members that have cracked the scoring group.
The conference championship will be held on Friday, October 31 in Indianapolis, Ind.
