NEW LONDON, N.H. – The Saint Joseph's College of Maine men's cross country team claimed the team title at the Colby-Sawyer Maslan Invitational and GNAC Preview on Sunday, October 4. Racing over 7.2 kilometers, the Monks totaled 33 points to finish five points ahead of runner-up Norwich University.

Graduate student Jacob Pelletier (Augusta, Maine) led the way with the individual victory, crossing the finish line in 23:52.7. Freshman Sam Tooley (Camden, Maine) followed with a runner-up performance in 24:35.0, giving Saint Joseph's the top two individual finishers.

NEED TO KNOW:
Saint Joseph's placed four runners inside the overall top 10 and five inside the top 17. Junior Isaac Keresey finished sixth overall in 26:03.7, while freshman Noel Heath placed 10th in 26:48.5. Freshman Griffith Heath completed the Monks' scoring five with a 17th-place finish in 27:39.6.

Three freshmen finished among Saint Joseph's top five scorers, with Tooley, Noel Heath, and Griffith Heath all contributing to the team victory. The Monks posted a 25:47 average and finished ahead of Norwich (38), Emmanuel (64), Lasell (105), and Dean (132) in the scored team standings.

FOR THE MONKS:

• Graduate student Jacob Pelletier (Augusta, Maine) – 1st, 23:52.7
• Freshman Sam Tooley (Camden, Maine) – 2nd, 24:35.0
• Junior Isaac Keresey (Pittsfield, Maine) – 6th, 26:03.7
• Freshman Noel Heath (Scarborough, Maine) – 10th, 26:48.5
• Freshman Griffith Heath (Scarborough, Maine) – 17th, 27:39.6
• Freshman Jackson Widerstrom (South Berwick, Maine) – 24th, 28:33.4
• Sophomore Nick Munyaneza (Gorham, Maine) – 26th, 28:46.5
• Senior Aidan Mills (Ontario Center, N.Y.) – 27th, 28:48.2
• Freshman Nick Bell (Farmington, Maine) – 32nd, 29:16.5
• Freshman Alberth Avila-Valdez (Dumont, N.J.) – 33rd, 30:06.7
• Senior Kyle Benson (Biddeford, Maine) – 34th, 30:52.0
• Junior Dalton Feeney (Medway, Mass.) – 37th, 32:22.1

COACH'S CORNER:
"Proud of how the men competed as a team today. It was a tough course, and our guys battled from start to finish. This group has worked hard all season while continuing to have fun and enjoy the process, and it's great to see that work paying off. We're also seeing stronger leadership across the team and some freshmen stepping up and making an impact in a big race. It was a beautiful day to race, and I'm excited to see this group continue to grow," said Head Coach Mike Burleson.

UP NEXT!
The Monks return to action on Friday, October 9 Hopkinton, N.H.