Both the Central Connecticut men’s and women’s cross country teams finished in the top half of the field at the New England Championships on Saturday. The men finished twelfth out of 26 schools, while the women finished tenth of 24.

On the men’s side, senior Alex Norstrom continued to impress, finishing twelfth overall, running the course in 25:20:09. But on this day, it was junior Roberto Piotto leading the way for the Blue Devils, finishing in fifth place overall, besting his teammate by just over 15 seconds.

Sophomore Charles Taubl, who did not compete at the Ted Owen Invitational, finished just 30 seconds behind Norstrom at 25:53:1.

Junior Richard Grudzwick, who finished third overall at the previous meet, had a time of 26:22, good enough for 73rd place.

Rounding out the top five for the Blue Devils was freshman Tim McNamara, competing in his first ever collegiate race. He finished the course in three ticks under 28 minutes.

Senior Patrick Halloran and sophomore David Kerns also competed for the Blue Devils but did not count towards their total team score.

The team was without junior Julio Arredondo, who has been a staple in the top five in their previous races, and sophomore Jonathan Gill, who head coach Eric Blake sighted as a likely contributor before the season.

As for the women’s team, they finished in the top 10 of the 5K race. This put them just ahead of Sacred Heart, who beat them at last year’s Northeast Conference Championships and just a few weeks ago at the Ted Owen Invitational.

Sophomore Angie Rafter continued to lead the way for the Blue Devils, finishing tenth overall with a time of 18:17:8.

Classmate Megan Brawner played bridesmaid to Rafter for the Blue Devils for the third time in that many meets, Brawner completing the course in under 19 minutes.

Dawn Hubbell, in her second race of the year, finished in 51st place overall with a time of 19:18.

Two runners that appear to be emerging as top-five runners for the team are sophomore Sabrina Chesters and freshman Ashley Dana. Both have competed in all three races for the Blue Devils, finishing in the top five each time.

Chesters finished 30 seconds behind Hubbell, while Dana came in just a second over the 20-minute mark.

The emergence of these two will surely provide the Blue Devils with depth as they await the return of senior Madeline Mondo, who has still yet to race on the season.

Sophomore Kailyn Accetura also took to the course, finishing with a time of 21:33:3, not contributing to the Blue Devils’ team score.

Next up for both teams is the CCSU Mini Meet, which will take place on Friday, Oct. 19 at Stanley Quarter Park in New Britain. It will be the final gear-up for both squads before they take on the NEC Championships the weekend after.