Dan Anastos and his Brandeis University cross country teammates are going back to the NCAA championship meet for the second year in a row. The junior captain from Peabody hopes his team can improve on last year's 20th place finish in Indiana with a better showing this time around in Cleveland.
Last weekend at the NCAA Regional at Twin Brooks in Cumberland, Maine, the Judges finished fourth for the second straight season, earning an at-large berth for this weekend. Anastos was the seventh runner for Brandeis with a time of 22:18.16 on the 8K course.
"It's awesome that we're going back again," said Anastos. "We only lost one senior from last year's team, so we were hoping to get back. I think we have a good shot at moving up.
"I really love the fall season because it takes a whole team effort. You want to do well for yourself and help your team."
The Judges, who are ranked 23rd in the nation, will compete at Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio. This marks their 23rd trip to the Division 3 championships, more appearances than any other New England school. It is the first time qualifying back-to-back since the 1997-98 seasons.
Once the season ends, Anastos plans on taking a brief rest before getting ready for the indoor track season. He runs the 5,000 indoors.
"I run all three (seasons of track), so there's not much down time," said the former Peabody High star, who is majoring in neuroscience. "It's all about learning to balance time between running and studying. I'll take a couple of days off, but not any longer because I don't want to get out of shape.
"Brandeis has been a great fit for me. It's only a half-hour away from home and what I was looking for both academically and athletically. Everyone gets along really well here."
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Emily Lanois, the former Hamilton-Wenham track star, had a great race as the fourth finisher for Columbia University in the NCAA Regional at Franklin Park last weekend. The college freshman was 48th overall in a time of 23:31 for the Lions, who finished eighth with 210 points.
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St. John's Prep principal Ed Hardiman and football coach/athletic director Jim O'Leary flew to Atlanta earlier this week to visit injured football player Jared Coppola. A high school junior, Coppola is at the Shepherd Center undergoing extensive rehabilitation after suffering a devastating cervical fracture in a preseason scrimmage over two months ago.
For the second straight game, Jared was able to watch his Eagles' teammates play B.C. High live last Sunday in his room, thanks to Peabody Access Telecommunications. With help from Rob Noe, the Eagles presented Prep sweatshirts to the nine PAT employees that worked tirelessly to make this possible.
Along with the gift was a card that read "Thank you very much for enabling our teammate Jared to watch our games live. As his teammates and friends, it meant a lot to all of us to give him this gift. - the 2009 St. Johns' Prep football team."
Jared Coppola continues to make remarkable progress and is now able to move his right leg and big toe on the same foot slightly. Recently, he underwent surgery for a pressure sore and has to stay in bed flat on his back for a couple of weeks. Therapists are using electrical stimulation on his leg to help improve movement during his convalescence. Coppola has progressed from an electric wheelchair to manual.
He is a member of the welcoming committee for all new patients, helping them believe things will get better, and has earned the nickname "The Mayor". He has just moved into a newly renovated room that overlooks the garden.
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Bill O'Neill and his son Andrew are back together coaching the Salem State hockey team. The elder O'Neill has been at the Vikings' helm for 28 years, and this is the first season as assistant coach for Andrew. He played for the Pingree School and collegiately at Salem State before taking an assistant coaching position at Williams College last year.
This year's Salem State hockey schedule has a different look to it, with most of their traditional NESCAC opponents gone from it (although the Vikings will still host Colby and travel to Bowdoin College). They also hit the road to take on Saint Scholastica and St. Norbert in Duluth, Minn. the weekend of 27-28.
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Jean DePlacido is a part-time writer and columnist for The Salem News. Contact her at jmdeplacido@aol.com.
