BERGEN EARNS THIRD PLACE AT 2016 NJCAA NATIONAL MEET

Men's Cross Country earns third place overall out of 25 teams and brought home the NJCAA Division III 3rd Place trophy. The third place finish is the highest Bergen has ever earned at the NJCAA Tournament.

November 15, 2016

Paramus, NJ - Men's Cross Country earns third place overall out of 25 teams and brought home the NJCAA Division III 3rd Place trophy. The third place finish is the highest place Bergen has ever earned in the NJCAA Tournament. Last year the team finished in 10th place. Before this year Bergen's best finish was in 2013 when they finished in 8th place. The 2016 NJCAA Men's Cross Country National Tournament was played on Saturday, Nov. 12, hosted by Finger Lakes CC in Canandaigua, NY.

Sophomore, Daniel Silver (Fair Lawn), was first Bulldog to the finish line and placed 25th out of 182 runners. Silver finished with a time of 30:43.0. Two Bulldogs came in right behind Silver.

Freshmen, Andy Jaipersaud (Bogota) & Christopher Loughman (Cliffside Park) came back to back after Silver. Jaipersaud finished in 26^th place with a time of 30:44.1 & Loughman finished in 27^th place with a time of 30:48.9.

The flood gates opened after the top three Bergen runners finished. Freshman, Hector Cruz (Paterson), finished in 31^st place with a time of 30:54.0. Sophomore, Connor McGillick (Saddle Brook), came a few seconds behind him and finished with a time of 31:02.9 (35^th place). McGillick 35^th place finish clinched third place for the Bulldogs. Athletic Director, Jorge Hernandez, when asked about the race said "The fact that we placed 5 of our top runners in the top 35 is something to be proud of. It also shows that talent, teamwork and hard work pays off."

Freshman, Joe Lopez, crossed the finish line with a time of 31:53.4 (58th place) and Sophomore, Porfirio Olivas (Garfield), was close behind (61st place) with a time of 31:56.3. After the race, Head Coach Deana Dedovitch was asked what she thought of her team and she said "It was an amazing team effort today and I am very proud of the runners."

Congrats to Head Coach, Deana Dedovitch for leading the team a wonderful finish to the season. Coach Dedovitch earned The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (East Region) Coach of the Year, for leading the men's team to their second straight Region XIX Title

For more information: http://stats.njcaa.org/sports/mxc/2016-17/div3/national_championship/index

Go Bulldogs!!!