STANDISH, Maine – The Saint Joseph's College men's cross country team closed out the 2026 regular season in impressive fashion Saturday afternoon, winning the second annual Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Classic on the Saint Joseph's College XC Course.

The Monks totaled 24 points to finish 21 points ahead of runner-up Maine Maritime Academy (45). Saint Joseph's placed five scoring runners among the top 12 overall and posted a five-man team time of 2:23:56, averaging 28:47 over the challenging eight-kilometer home course.

Graduate student Jacob Pelletier (Augusta, Maine) led the way by capturing the individual victory in 26:47.4, while freshman Sam Tooley (Camden, Maine) followed in second place with a time of 27:16.2. Junior Isaac Keresey (Pittsfield, Maine) gave the Monks three runners inside the top five, finishing fifth overall in 28:41.4.

NEED TO KNOW:

Saint Joseph's made a significant year-over-year jump at its home meet. After placing third with 58 points at the inaugural Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Classic in 2025, the Monks climbed to the top of the standings with 24 points this fall.

Their five-man team time improved from 2:46:49 to 2:23:56, a difference of 22 minutes, 53 seconds, while their average dropped from 33:21 to 28:47.
Pelletier also delivered a major improvement from last year's race, lowering his time from 34:37.5 to 26:47.4, an improvement of 7:50.1.

Freshmen continued to play a major role for Saint Joseph's, as Tooley, Noel Heath, and Griffith Heath all contributed to the Monks' scoring five. Noel Heath placed ninth overall in 29:59.5, while Griffith Heath rounded out the scoring group in 12th at 31:12.4.

FOR THE MONKS:

• Jacob Pelletier (Gr., Augusta, Maine) – 1st, 26:47.4
• Sam Tooley (Fr., Camden, Maine) – 2nd, 27:16.2
• Isaac Keresey (Jr., Pittsfield, Maine) – 5th, 28:41.4
• Noel Heath (Fr., Scarborough, Maine) – 9th, 29:59.5
• Griffith Heath (Fr., Scarborough, Maine) – 12th, 31:12.4
• Jackson Widerstrom (Fr., South Berwick, Maine) – 16th, 31:48.7
• Nick Bell (Fr., Farmington, Maine) – 17th, 31:52.4
• Aidan Mills (Sr., Ontario Center, N.Y.) – 19th, 32:10.1
• Nick Munyaneza (So., Gorham, Maine) – 22nd, 32:32.6
• Alberth Avila-Valdez (Fr., Dumont, N.J.) – 25th, 32:36.7
• Kyle Benson (Sr., Biddeford, Maine) – 29th, 33:53.7
• Dalton Feeney (Jr., Medway, Mass.) – 32nd, 34:30.4
• Aaron Sanborn (Fr., Windham, Maine) – 34th, 35:08.0

COACH'S CORNER:

"The men battled through the second half of the race and did a great job of running smart on one of the toughest courses we'll see all season. We have a great mix of seasoned veterans and freshmen who continue to improve and gain confidence every week. We're excited to keep bring all the pieces together, and see what this group can accomplish at the conference championships," said Head Coach Mike Burleson.

UP NEXT!

With the regular season complete, Saint Joseph's will turn its attention to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship on Sunday, November 1 at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, N.H. The Monks enter the postseason looking to defend their 2025 GNAC title.