New Britain, CT- Mercyhurst Cross Country had an outstanding showing at their first NEC Championship. The women's team took home a 6th place finish and the men's finished in 8th place. 

How it Happened 

The women were up first to take on the field of competition with a 5k race. The course was relatively flat, with some hills and inclines. They finished in 6th place with 175 points, just behind LIU's 167 points. The Lakers had an impressive time spread of 1:38. Leading the way was freshman Caitlin Dugan, who finished in 25th place with a time of 19:06. Up next for the Lakers was sophomore Kaila Szczygielski, who placed 41st with a time of 19:57. Not far behind was sophomore Molly McIntyre, who finished in 44th place with a time of 20:06. To round off the top five women was senior captain Mikaela LeBaron, who finished in 53rd place with a time of 20:38 and graduate student Ellie Chuzie who placed 54th with a time of 20:44. 

The men took the field next with an 8k course. They finished in 8th place with 192 points, behind Saint Francis' 178 points. They ended with a time spread of 2:13. Graduate student Alec Bidwell led the way with a 29th-place finish and a time of 27:41. Up next for the Lakers were freshmen Sawyer Bonnett and Xavier Mohamed. Bonnett finished in 42nd place with a time of 28:40 and Mohamed was right behind, finishing in 43rd place with a time of 28:47. Sophomores Alexander Rowe and Daniel Derby capped off the top five Lakers. Rowe finished in 53rd place with a time of 29:40 and Derby finished in 55th place with a time of 29:55.