University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
   Men's Cross Country  

Stories & Highlights
2009 season 

Devils Close Out Season at NCAA Regional Meet (11/8/09)

Four runners set personal best times as the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia men's cross country team closed out their 2009 season with a 19th place finish at the NCAA East Regional Championships held at Franklin Park in Boston, Massachusetts on Sunday.

The Devils finished with 519 points, ten behind 18th place St. Anselm College(509) and 47 ahead of CACC rival Holy Family University (566). Host U-Mass Lowell captured the team title with a score of 43 points. There were 32 schools competing in this year's race. This year's race marks the fourth time in the past five years that the Devils have competed as a team at the NCAA regionals. Their 19th place finish was their second best showing, behind only last year's 16th place effort.

Leading the way for the Devils was freshman Michael Pecorino (Monsignor Farrell HS/Staten Island, N.Y.). Pecorino finished in 90th place overall out of the 180 finishers with a personal-best time of 35:39.5 for the 10,000-meter course. Mike's time was the fifth fastest 10,000-meter time in school history. Junior Peter Grant (St. Joseph Prep HS/ Springfield, Pa.) was 99th overall with a time of 36:14.6. Senior Matt Willard (Cardinal O'Hara HS/Broomall, Pa.) placed 108th with a time of 36:48.2.

Rounding out the top five finishers were sophomore Georgiy Polyak (Delaware Valley HS/ Dingman's Ferry, Pa.) and junior Stephen Maylie (Springfield (Delco) HS/Springfield, Pa.). Polyak set a personal best with a time of 36:52.6 to place 109th overall. Maylie placed 115th overall with a time of 37:17.1. Freshman Rob Glass (Highland Regional/Blackwood, N.J.) was the sixth USP runner to cross the line, finishing right behind Maylie in 116th place with a personal best time of 37:19.9. Sophomore Francisco Garcia (Don Cesar Gascon/Balcarce, Buenos Aires, Argentina.) rounded out the Devils competitors, placing 121st overall with a personal best time of 37:42.5.

Devils Place Fourth at CACC Championship (10/24/09)
Earn Team Sportsmanship Award

Rain and poor course conditions did not keep the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia men's cross country team from recording their third consecutive top four finish at the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) championship meet, placing fourth amongst the ten teams competing on Saturday at Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia.

The Men's Cross Country Team also earned the CACC Team Sportsmanship Award. The CACC Team Sportsmanship Award is given to the team in each sponsored conference sport that best exemplifies the spirit of athletic competition and sportsmanship. The voting for this award is done by the league’s 11 coaches. This year's award marks the third time in the past four years that the men's cross country program has earned the CACC Team Sportsmanship Award. In becoming a three-time winner, the men's cross country team becomes just the second USP varsity team to win the award three times, joining the women's cross country team (2001-03) as the only two teams to earn the award three times.

In the race, the Devils finished with 134 points to place fourth behind five-time defending champion Felician College who place third with 73 points. Philadelphia University won the race with a score of 32 points. Wilmington University was second with a score of 43 points.

Junior Peter Grant (St. Joseph Prep HS/ Springfield, Pa.) was the first USP runner to finish, crossing the line in 19th place with a time of 29:29.68. Senior Matt Willard (Cardinal O'Hara HS/Broomall, Pa.) finished 24th with a time of 30:14.50 while freshman Michael Pecorino (Monsignor Farrell HS/Staten Island, N.Y.) was the third USP finisher with a time of 30:42.12, placing 29th.

Freshman Rob Glass (Highland Regional/Blackwood, N.J.) was right behind Pecorino, placing 30th with a time of 30:44.76. Two places behind Glass was sophomore Georgiy Polyak (Delaware Valley HS/ Dingman's Ferry, Pa.), finishing in 32nd place with a time of 30:53.88. Sophomore Francisco Garcia (Don Cesar Gascon/Balcarce, Buenos Aires, Argentina.) and junior Stephen Maylie (Springfield (Delco) HS/Springfield, Pa.) rounded out the Devils finishers. Garcia was 34th overall with a time of 30:59.15 while Maylie was 40th with a time of 32:04.35.

The Devils will conclude their season in two weeks, competing at the NCAA East Regional meet at Franklin Park in Boston Massachusetts on November 8, 2009.

Men's Harriers Place Sixth at Cabrini Invitational (10/10/09)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia men's cross country team had all seven scorers finish in less than thirty minutes for the second time this season as they placed sixth at the Cabrini Invitational at Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia on Saturday.

The Devils finished with 155 points, seven behind a strong Rutgers-Camden squad. Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference rivals Wilmington University (45) and Philadelphia University (66) were first and third respectively. Ramapo college was second with 57 points and Penn State University's (Main Campus) Club Team was fourth (66 points). The sixth place finish snaps USP's three-meet streak of top three finishes, but the Devils have now finished 6th or better in 16 straight regular season meets, dating back to the start of the 2007 season.

Junior Peter Grant (St. Joseph Prep HS/ Springfield, Pa.) again led the Devils, finishing 19th overall with a time of 27:49.91. Freshman Michael Pecorino (Monsignor Farrell HS/Staten Island, N.Y.) was the second USP runner to cross the line, finishing in 29th place overall with a time of 28:10.01, a new-personal best time. Senior Matt Willard (Cardinal O’Hara HS/Broomall, Pa.) rounded out the Devils top three finishers, crossing the line in 41st place with a time of 29:03.34.

Sophomore Georgiy Polyak (Delaware Valley HS/ Dingman's Ferry, Pa.) finished six second behind Willard in 42nd place (29:09.49), setting a personal-best time in the process. Sophomore Francisco Garcia (Don Cesar Gascon/Balcarce, Buenos Aires, Argentina.) was the Devils fifth finisher placing 47th overall with a time of 29:18.94

Rounding out the Devils top seven scorers were junior Stephen Maylie (Springfield (Delco) HS/Springfield, Pa.) and freshman Christian Radzinski (Neshaminy HS/Langhorne, Pa.). Maylie finished in 57th place with a time of 29:47.72 while Radzinski recorded a personal best time of 29:56.89, good enough for 61st place out of the 156 finishers.

Two additional runners also set personal best times in the meet. Freshmen Rob Glass (Highland Regional/Blackwood, N.J.) narrowly missed cracking the 30-minute plateau, finishing in 30:01.78. Freshman Brendan Degnan (Central Bucks South HS/Doylestown, Pa.) completed the 8,000-meter course on 32:15.36. Senior Nick Barkley (Mansfield HS/Mansfield, Tex.), in the final race of his college career, recorded a season best time of 31:57.84, the third fastest time of his career.

The Devils next race will be at the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championships, held at Belmont Plateau on October 24, 2009.

Devils Take Second at Belmont Classic (10/3/09)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia men’s cross country team placed all seven scorers in the top 25 as they cruised to a second place finish at Saturday’s Belmont classic at Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia.

The Devils finished with 63 points, 32 ahead of third place Rutgers-Newark and 39 behind meet champion Wilmington University (24 points), who had five of the first nine finishers. Saturday’s second place finish marks the Devils’ third consecutive race where the team has placed in the top three. The USP men’s team has now recorded a third place or better finish in six of their last nine regular season races and 10 of their last 15.

“Our second place finish was a strong team effort today,” said head coach Bob Heller. “Our times were not exactly stellar, due to the warm and humid weather conditions, but they were good enough to get the job done against today’s competition and record another solid finish.”

Junior Peter Grant (St. Joseph Prep HS/ Springfield, Pa.) led the way with a fifth place finish and a time of 28:19.76. Freshman Michael Pecorino (Monsignor Farrell HS/Staten Island, N.Y.) was the second USP runner to finish, crossing the line in 11th place overall with a time of 29:12.76. Senior Matt Willard (Cardinal O’Hara HS/Broomall, Pa.) was 12th with a time of 29:19.46.

Sophomore Georgiy Polyak (Delaware Valley HS/ Dingman's Ferry, Pa.) and freshman Rob Glass (Highland Regional/Blackwood, N.J.) rounded out the Devils top five finishers. Polyak was 15th overall with a time of 29:39.89. Glass was 21st overall with a time of 30:24.77

USP’s top seven scorers was completed by sophomore Tuynh Nguyen (Montgomery Blair HS (Md.)/Morrow, Ga.) and junior Stephen Maylie (Springfield (Delco) HS/Springfield, Pa.). Nguyen was 23rd overall with a time of 30:29.65 while Maylie was 24th with a time of 30:40.91.

The Devils return to action next Saturday as they compete at the Cabrini Invitational at Belmont Plateau.

Solid Effort as Devils Record Best Finish Ever at Metro Meet (9/26/09)

The first seven runners from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia to finish at Saturday's Philadelphia Metro Meet at Belmont Plateau completed the course in less than thirty minutes as the Devils recorded their best finish ever in the thirty year history of the meet, capturing the third place trophy.

The seven runners breaking the 30-minute mark for the race is also a first for a USP cross country team, with four of the seven setting personal best marks at the race. The Devils scored 87 points, 26 behind second place Felician College and 57 behind meet champion Philadelphia University.

Junior Peter Grant (St. Joseph Prep HS/ Springfield, Pa.) led the way with a seventh place overall finish and a time of 27:46.80. Senior Matt Willard (Cardinal O’Hara HS/Broomall, Pa.) was 14th overall, finishing in 28:18.22. Two places behind Willard was freshman Michael Pecorino (Monsignor Farrell HS/Staten Island, N.Y.), setting a personal best mark of 28:25.85.

USP's next three finishers also set personal best marks, with all three finishing within eight seconds of each other. Sophomore Francisco Garcia (Don Cesar Gascon/Balcarce, Buenos Aires, Argentina.) was the fourth Devils to cross the line, with a time of 29:12.38, placing 26th overall. In 28th place overall was junior Stephen Maylie (Springfield (Delco) HS/Springfield, Pa.), finishing with a time of 29:14.68. Sophomore Georgiy Polyak (Delaware Valley HS/ Dingman's Ferry, Pa.) was right behind Maylie in 29th place with a time of 29:20.40. Sophomore Tuynh Nguyen (Montgomery Blair HS (Md.)/Morrow, Ga.). rounded out the Devils top seven runners, narrowly missing his own personal best mark but still recording a sub-30 minute performance with a time of 29:43.73.

USP's eighth and ninth finishers also set personal bests. Freshman Rob Glass (Highland Regional/Blackwood, N.J.) was 43rd overall with a time of 30:04.06 while freshman Brendan Degnan (Central Bucks South HS/Doylestown, Pa.) finished 67th overall with a time of 32:16.60. Glass shaved over a minute off his previous best time while Degnan was over two minutes faster then his previous best.

The Devils return to the friendly confines of Belmont Plateau next weekend as they participate in the Belmont Classic. The race is set to begin around 1:00 p.m.

Devils Take Home Third Place at Wilmington Invitational (9/12/09)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia men's cross country team placed three runners in the top ten overall as they recorded a third place finish at Saturday's Wilmington University Invitational at Carousel Park in Wilmington, Delaware.

USP's three top ten finishers all completed the challenging Carousel Park course in under 30 minutes, leading the Devils the Devils to their second consecutive third place finish at this event. The Devils finished with 69 points. Host Wilmington University won the race with a score of 35 points while Philadelphia University was second with 36 points. Four of the Devils top six runners bettered their times from last week.

Junior Peter Grant (St. Joseph Prep HS/ Springfield, Pa.) again led the way for USP, completing the 8,000-meter course in 29:13.38 and finishing in sixth place overall. Freshman Michael Pecorino (Monsignor Farrell HS/Staten Island, N.Y.) was right behind Grant, finishing in seventh place overall with a time of 29:14.53, a new personal-best time. Senior Matt Willard (Cardinal O’Hara HS/Broomall, Pa.) rounded out the Devils top ten finishers, placing ninth overall with a time of 29:20.53.

A pair of sophomores rounded out the Devils top five as Francisco Garcia (Don Cesar Gascon/Balcarce, Buenos Aires, Argentina.) and Georgiy Polyak (Delaware Valley HS/ Dingman's Ferry, Pa.) were the next two USP runners to finish. Garcia was 21st overall with a time of 30:45.02 while Polyak placed 27th overall with a time of 31:12.65.

Freshman Rob Glass (Highland Regional/Blackwood, N.J.) was USP's next finisher, setting a personal-best mark of 31:16.70 en route to a 30th place finish. Junior Stephen Maylie (Springfield (Delco) HS/Springfield, Pa.) rounded out the Devils top seven with a time of 31:25.63, marking the second consecutive race that the USP team had their top seven runners all finish in under 32 minutes.

The men's harriers return to action on Saturday, September 26, 2009 at Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia as they compete in the Philadelphia Metro Small College Meet.

USP Men Open Season with Seventh Place Finish (9/5/09)

The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia men's cross country team kicked off their 2009 campaign with a seventh place finish at the Delaware Valley College Invitational Saturday morning in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

The Devils had four runners finish the 8,000 meter course in less than 30 minutes and had their top seven runners finish in less than 32 minutes en route to their seventh place finish amongst the 17 schools competing. USP finished with 177 points, 41 behind sixth place Ursinus College. Felician College, the #7 ranked team in the Division II East region won the team title with 40 points, placing its five top finishers in the top 15. The race marks the first time this decade that the Devils have had their top seven runners finish in less than 32 minutes in their season opener.

Junior Pete Grant (St. Joseph Prep HS/ Springfield, Pa.) led the Devils with a 16th place finish, completing the course in 28:41.74. senior Matt Willard (Cardinal O’Hara HS/Broomall, Pa.) followed in 28th place with a time of 29:32.27. Freshman Mike Pecorino (Monsignor Farrell HS/Staten Island, N.Y.) , in his first collegiate race, was the third USP finisher, crossing the line in 33rd place with a time of 29:40.67.

Rounding out USP's top five were sophomores Francisco Garcia (Don Cesar Gascon/Balcarce, Buenos Aires, Argentina.) and Tuynh Nguyen (Montgomery Blair HS (Md./Morrow, Ga.). Garcia, making his cross country debut, finished in 40th place out of the 160 finishers, recording a time of 29:56.99. Nguyen was 64th overall with a time of 30:59.77

Steve Maylie (Springfield (Delco) HS/Springfield, Pa.) and Georgiy Polyak (Delaware Valley HS/ Dingman's Ferry, Pa.) rounded out the Devils top seven finishing 69th and 77th respectively with times of 31:20.47 and 31:48.16.

In addition to Pecorino, three other freshman made their collegiate debut on Saturday; Christian Radzinski (Neshaminy HS/Langhorne, Pa.), Rob Glass (Highland Regional/Blackwood, N.J.) and Brendan Degnan (Central Bucks South HS/Doylestown, Pa.). Radzinski recorded a time of 31:59.97 while Glass was a little over eight seconds behind him with a time of 32:07.00. Degnan finished in 34:34.09.

The Devils return to action on Saturday, September 12, 2009 when they compete at the Wilmington University Invitational at Carousel Park in Wilmington, Delaware.