Men's Cross Country 10/9/2026 10:19:00 PM

Monks Place Third at Hopkinton Cross Country Festival

HOPKINTON, N.H. – The Saint Joseph's College men's cross country team continued its strong midseason stretch on Friday afternoon, placing third among 11 scoring teams at the Hopkinton Cross Country Festival at the Hopkinton Fairgrounds.
The Monks totaled 80 points, finishing behind Franklin Pierce (34) and Saint Anselm (76), while topping Norwich, Suffolk, UMass Boston, Emmanuel, Emerson, Lesley, Vermont State Lyndon, and Dean. Saint Joseph's posted a five-runner team time of 2:21:47 and an average of 28:22 over the eight-kilometer course.
Graduate student Jacob Pelletier (Augusta, Maine) once again led the Monks, placing fifth overall in 26:37.0. Freshman Sam Tooley (Camden, Maine) followed with another top-10 showing, finishing ninth in 27:09.5. Junior Isaac Keresey (Pittsfield, Maine) gave Saint Joseph's three runners inside the top 17 with a time of 28:14.3.

NEED TO KNOW:
Saint Joseph's made a significant jump from its performance at the same meet one year ago. The Monks finished 10th with 268 points in 2025, recording a team time of 2:32:04 and a 30:24 average. This year, SJC moved up to third with 80 points, lowering its five-man team time by 10:17 and its average by more than two minutes.
Pelletier also made a major year-over-year improvement, running 26:37.0 after clocking 28:01.7 at the meet last season — an improvement of 1:24.7. Senior Kyle Benson (Biddeford, Maine) improved by more than two minutes, running 33:30.0 after finishing in 35:57.2 last year.
Freshmen Noel Heath and Griffith Heath, both of Scarborough, Maine, completed the Monks' scoring five. Noel placed 32nd in 29:25.1, while Griffith crossed 36th in 30:21.1. Three of Saint Joseph's five scorers were freshmen.

FOR THE MONKS:

Jacob Pelletier (Gr., Augusta, Maine) – 5th, 26:37.0
Sam Tooley (Fr., Camden, Maine) – 9th, 27:09.5
Isaac Keresey (Jr., Pittsfield, Maine) – 17th, 28:14.3
Noel Heath (Fr., Scarborough, Maine) – 32nd, 29:25.1
Griffith Heath (Fr., Scarborough, Maine) – 36th, 30:21.1
Aidan Mills (Sr., Ontario Center, N.Y.) – 46th, 31:27.6
Nick Munyaneza (So., Gorham, Maine) – 50th, 31:48.7
Jackson Widerstrom (Fr., South Berwick, Maine) – 51st, 31:49.3
Nick Bell (Fr., Farmington, Maine) – 54th, 32:01.6
Alberth Avila-Valdez (Fr., Dumont, N.J.) – 58th, 32:27.9
Kyle Benson (Sr., Biddeford, Maine) – 68th, 33:30.0
Dalton Feeney (Jr., Medway, Mass.) – 76th, 35:35.8
Aaron Sanborn (Fr., Windham, Maine) – 77th, 36:50.1

COACH'S CORNER:
"The men did a great job of following the race plan today. They worked together, ran smart, and competed as a team. We're doing the right things at the right time of year, and it's great to see the work we've been putting in translate into how we're racing," said Head Coach Mike Burleson.

UP NEXT!
Saint Joseph's returns home for the Coach Dann Runnin' Monks Classic on Saturday, October 17. Racing on the Saint Joseph's College campus is scheduled to begin at 11:00 AM. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

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Players Mentioned

Kyle Benson: 6' 1"; Senior; 2027

Isaac Keresey: 5' 11"; Junior; 2028

Aidan Mills: 6' 1"; Senior; 2027

Jacob Pelletier: 5' 11"; Graduate Student; 2026

Alberth Avila-Valdez: 5' 10"; Freshman; 2030

Nick Bell: 5' 11"; Freshman; 2030

Noel Heath: 5' 10"; Freshman; 2030

Aaron Sanborn: 5' 10"; Freshman; 2030

Sam Tooley: 6' 0"; Freshman; 2030

Jackson Widerstrom: 5' 11"; Freshman; 2030

Players Mentioned

Kyle Benson
: 6' 1"; Senior; 2027

Isaac Keresey
: 5' 11"; Junior; 2028

Aidan Mills
: 6' 1"; Senior; 2027

Jacob Pelletier
: 5' 11"; Graduate Student; 2026

Alberth Avila-Valdez
: 5' 10"; Freshman; 2030

Nick Bell
: 5' 11"; Freshman; 2030

Noel Heath
: 5' 10"; Freshman; 2030

Aaron Sanborn
: 5' 10"; Freshman; 2030

Sam Tooley
: 6' 0"; Freshman; 2030

Jackson Widerstrom
: 5' 11"; Freshman; 2030