SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine - The Saint Joseph's College of Maine men's cross country team opened the 2026 season at the NCAA Regional Preview, hosted by Bates College at the Wainwright Sports Complex on Saturday evening. Racing over 4.34 kilometers, the Monks placed seventh among 11 scoring teams with 190 points and a 14:37 team average.
Freshman Sam Tooley (Camden, Maine) paced Saint Joseph's with a 15th-place finish in 13:52.7, while graduate Jacob Pelletier (Augusta, Maine) followed closely in 17th at 13:54.5. Brandeis won the team competition with 22 points.
NEED TO KNOW:
Saturday's opener gave the Monks an early look at the same Wainwright Sports Complex course that is scheduled to host the NCAA East Regional on November 14. Tooley and Pelletier crossed just 1.8 seconds apart to put two Saint Joseph's runners inside the top 20. The Monks' five scorers produced a 1:27.3 scoring spread, and Saint Joseph's finished level with Thomas College at 190 points, with Thomas listed sixth and the Monks seventh in the final standings.
FOR THE MONKS:
- Freshman, Sam Tooley (Camden, Maine) - 15th place, 13:52.7
- Graduate, Jacob Pelletier (Augusta, Maine) - 17th place, 13:54.5
- Junior, Isaac Keresey (Pittsfield, Maine) - 63rd place, 14:59.8
- Freshman, Noel Heath (Scarborough, Maine) - 66th place, 15:03.1
- Freshman, Griffith Heath (Scarborough, Maine) - 73rd place, 15:20.0
- Freshman, Jackson Widerstrom (South Berwick, Maine) - 115th place, 16:10.2
- Freshman, Nick Bell (Farmington, Maine) - 118th place, 16:15.3
- Freshman, Alberth Avila-Valdez (Dumont, N.J.) - 120th place, 16:22.4
- Senior, Aidan Mills (Ontario Center, N.Y.) - 121st place, 16:33.0
- Sophomore, Nick Munyaneza (Gorham, Maine) - 127th place, 16:51.3
- Senior, Kyle Benson (Biddeford, Maine) - 130th place, 17:07.9
- Freshman, Aaron Sanborn (Windham, Maine) - 136th place, 17:44.6
- Junior, Dalton Feeney (Medway, Mass.) - 143rd place, 18:20.4
UP NEXT!
The Monks return to action on Saturday, September 19 at the Maine State Meet, hosted by Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. The meet is scheduled for 10:00 AM.
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