Of the 217 colleges and universities that compete in men’s cross country at the Division II level, only 15 have qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships each of the last three years. Among the 15 are the Ed Lyons-coached Bentley College Falcons.

The 2002 NCAA Championships were contested on Saturday at Brookside Golf Course in Ashland, Ohio, with the University of Ashland as the host. Bentley qualified by virtue of a second-place finish, behind UMass-Lowell, in the NCAA Division II New England Regionals Nov. 9 in New York City.

Four of the seven Bentley runners have previously run in the nationals, including senior co-captain Lou Raffetto, an Ocean Township High School graduate, who’s been a member of all three teams. Bentley’s top runner in every meet except the regionals where he was the second Falcon to cross the line, Raffetto was 145th as a sophomore and did not finish last year. This season, he was third in the Northeast-10 Championships and ninth in the regionals, where he had a 10,000-meter time of 33:28.1.

Penn State University head wrestling coach Troy Sunderland announced last week that Bryan Heller, of Rumson-Fair Haven High School, has decided to attend Penn State next year. Heller is projected to wrestle at 133-141 pounds as a collegian. He placed seventh at the New Jersey State Championships as a junior, and claimed district and regional championships. He compiled an 83-9 record, including a 31-2 mark last year, heading into his senior campaign. Heller made a good run at last summer’s junior nationals, posting a 5-2 record and won a junior freestyle title at the Northeast Regionals in 2002.

The Little Silver Turkey Bowl, benefiting Jason’s Dreams for Kids, will be held Nov. 30 at Sickles Field and Women’s Center in Little Silver. The 10-team round robin seven-on-seven touch football tournament and family fun day will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (rain or shine), with the football tournament, a DJ, face painter, clowns and more. From 3-6 p.m., refreshments and more family-oriented activities will be held, including a buffet and awards ceremony. The cost is $50 per player and his family, and $20 per spectator family. Please make checks payable to Jason’s Dreams for Kids, 20 Monmouth St., Red Bank, 07701.

For more information, call (732) 758-0060, or e-mail jasonsdreams@aol.com.