Cross Country Ready for ACC Championships

The Boston College men's cross country team will compete at the ACC Championships on Friday, Oct. 27 at 10:00 a.m. in Louisville, Ky. They will return to "Tom" Sawyer State park for the second time this season after competing there at the NCAA Pre-Nationals meet on Oct. 14^th.

The men will be running the 8K course against the other 14 teams in the ACC.

Last year, the Eagles finished in 12^th place overall at the meet in Cary, N.C. They had 337 points to put them in front of Wake Forest, Clemson and Miami.

Head coach Matt Kerr discussed the training plan leading up to the meet.

"We've done a lot of hard work this season in training," Kerr said. "The guys have been training really hard and they've been consistent. The workouts have been top-notch, the long runs have been great. We're just going to back them off, fresh them up, get their legs under them, and hopefully that makes a difference in them feeling good in the middle of the race when they need to push hard. That's the part of the race that's alluded us. In cross country in the ACC, you can't spot anybody a lead and expect to crawl back into it. Hopefully the freshness in their legs gives them a little spark and they can find that toughness that they need."

Junior Sean Burke crossed the line first for the Eagles at 23:27.6 to earn 10^th place overall. He looks to have another strong performance this year.

"Sean Burke is going to lead the way," Kerr said. "His goal individually is to place in the top 10, where he was at last year. That gives us a great start for the team and for everybody else following.

Kerr also explained the racing strategy.

"The guys need to run close together," Kerr said. "They can't have a separation, they can't be 20 meters or 50 meters apart. They need to be side-by-side working together. They need to try to find a sweet spot in the middle of the field and be there and be present."

"For us, it's mile two-three, three-four that have been tough miles. We start well and we end well but we've lost a little focus in the middle of these races. Fortunately, we know the course because we were there a short time ago and we'll be back. It's a nice looped course and pretty straightforward. In the middle of the race, they need to stay tough and run together and they've got to want it."

Syracuse was the team champion last year and Justyn Knight of Syracuse was the top individual finisher.

The 2017 ACC Men's Cross Country Championships may be viewed at: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3193961/acc-mens-cross-country-championship.

Live results may be viewed during and after the Championships at:
http://flashresults.com/2018_Meets/xc/ACC/index.htm

Cross Country Ready for ACC Championships

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Players Mentioned

Sean Burke