Fredonia State sophomore Eddie Novara (Angola/Lake Shore) finished 29th overall – and third best among all SUNYAC men – at the NCAA Division III cross country championships.
Novara’s top 35 performance earned him All-American status. He was running in the national meet for the first time.
“He ran a perfect race,” Fredonia State coach Jeff Beck after Novara was timed in 26:03 for 8,000 meters at Highland Park Golf Course on ground that was soft and damp.
“It,” Beck said, “was a good time for this course.”
Novara ran his race as he and Beck had planned – out conservatively with constant progress toward the front. He drew a starting box in the middle of the nearly 300-runner field and let the quick starters set the early pace.
Beck estimates Novara was in 100th place after the first mile, in 75th after the second in a time of 10:20, and in 50th after the third in 15:30.
In the end, only Plattsburgh’s Michael Heymann (9th) and Cortland’s Kyle O’Brien (17th) finished ahead of Novara. Those two and seven others beat Novara at the SUNYAC championship meet on Oct. 31.
“He kept picking off other runners all the way to the end,” Beck said. “It was according to plan … a perfect race.”
Novara will turn his sights toward the the indoor track season which starts Dec. 11-12 with the Golden Flash Gala at Kent State.
“He’s going to keep training,” Beck said, “and get ready for the 5,000 meters (at Kent). And then he’s going to take some time off.”
