BRUNSWICK, Maine – The Saint Joseph's College of Maine men's cross country team placed seventh among 12 scoring teams at the Maine State Championships, hosted by Bowdoin College on Saturday, September 19. The Monks recorded 214 points and a 28:20 team average over the eight-kilometer course.
Graduate student Jacob Pelletier (Augusta, Maine) paced Saint Joseph's with a 32nd-place finish in 26:18.2. Freshman Sam Tooley (Camden, Maine) followed in 54th at 27:14.4. Bates captured the team championship with 42 points, edging Maine (47) and Colby (52).
NEED TO KNOW:
Saint Joseph's placed four runners inside the top 100 in a field of 157 finishers. Junior Isaac Keresey finished 85th in 28:46.0, while freshman Noel Heath crossed the line in 100th at 29:21.6. Freshman Griffith Heath completed the scoring group in 109th at 30:04.9, giving the Monks three first-year runners among their top five. Saint Joseph's finished 24 points ahead of eighth-place Thomas College.
FOR THE MONKS:
- Graduate student Jacob Pelletier (Augusta, Maine) – 32nd, 26:18.2
- Freshman Sam Tooley (Camden, Maine) – 54th, 27:14.4
- Junior Isaac Keresey (Pittsfield, Maine) – 85th, 28:46.0
- Freshman Noel Heath (Scarborough, Maine) – 100th, 29:21.6
- Freshman Griffith Heath (Scarborough, Maine) – 109th, 30:04.9
- Senior Aidan Mills (Ontario Center, N.Y.) – 122nd, 31:29.2
- Freshman Nick Bell (Farmington, Maine) – 124th, 31:48.5
- Freshman Jackson Widerstrom (South Berwick, Maine) – 125th, 31:59.5
- Sophomore Nick Munyaneza (Gorham, Maine) – 127th, 32:22.9
- Freshman Alberth Avila-Valdez (Dumont, N.J.) – 131st, 33:21.1
- Senior Kyle Benson (Biddeford, Maine) – 133rd, 33:35.0
- Freshman Aaron Sanborn (Windham, Maine) – 136th, 35:43.3
- Junior Dalton Feeney (Medway, Mass.) – 138th, 35:50.0
A YEAR OF PROGRESS:
The Monks climbed three places from their 10th-place finish in 2025, lowering their score from 283 to 214. Their listed team average improved from 30:30 to 28:20, while their combined scoring time dropped by 10 minutes, 48 seconds. All four returning Monks who finished both editions ran faster this year: Benson improved by 2:56.8, Pelletier by 2:37.4, Keresey by 1:15.3, and Mills by 1:12.2.
COACH'S CORNER:
"The men really bought into the plan today, and it showed throughout the course! With many athletes running their first 8K, it was great to see them trust the process, compete together, and execute. They've been putting in the work, and it's exciting to see these guys continue to elevate our program," said Head Coach Mike Burleson.
UP NEXT!
The Monks return to action on Sunday, October 4 at the Maslan Invitational, hosted by Colby-Sawyer College in New London, N.H. The meet is scheduled to begin at 11:00 AM.
