PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Mercyhurst men's and women's cross country teams earned top-ten finishes at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational on Saturday. The men's team placed 8th out of 19 teams, while the women's squad claimed 10th out of 19. 

The men's team took on the 8K course, competing against a field of 190 runners. Freshman Thomas Gaydos continued his standout season, once again leading the Lakers with a season-best time of 25:07.20. His performance earned him an impressive 9th-place finish overall. Coming in shortly after was Xavier Mohamed who finished 35th overall with a time of 25:58.20.

The next three Lakers to finish were Sawyer Bonnett at 43rd with a time of 26:08.60, Camden Pierce at 61st with a time of 26:33.40, and Daniel Derby at 76th with a time of 26:55.20. Rounding out the order for the Lakers were Max Dillaman at 103rd with a time of 27:34.30 and Alexander Rowe at 129th with a time of 28:27.00. 

The women's team competed in the 5K against a field of 183 runners. Leading the way for the women was Molly McIntyre we clocked a 18:31.10 and a 35th place finish, right behind her was Caitlin Dugan with a time of 18:36.80 and a 37th place finish. 

The next two Lakers also finished in close succession, with Bella Homorody placing 77th at 19:21.30 and Rowan Milliron following closely in 80th with a time of 19:27.00. Finishing out the order for the women was Kaila Szczygielski at 92nd with a time of 19:43.50 and Kathleen Tarlo at 142nd with a time of 21:05.50. 

Notably, every Laker recorded a season-best time in Pittsburgh.

Next up, the Lakers begin preparing for the NEC Championship hosted by Saint Francis University on November 1, with the men's 8K race starting at 11:00 AM and the women's 5K scheduled for 12:00 PM.