TYRONE, Pa. – The Mercyhurst cross country teams wrapped up their seasons Saturday at the NEC Cross Country Championships, as the women's team finished fifth out of 10 programs and the men placed seventh.

In their second season competing at the Division I level, both squads improved upon the benchmarks they set a year ago.

The women earned a top-five finish in the 6K race, which featured 77 runners. Sophomore standout Caitlin Dugan led the Lakers for the second straight NEC Championship, placing ninth overall with a time of 23:20.40. Her performance earned her a spot on the 2025 Women's XC Championship All-NEC Cross Country Team.

Next for the Lakers was Molly McIntyre, who finished 30th in 24:55.00, followed by freshman Rowan Milliron in 38th with a time of 25:19.10. Kaila Szczygielski crossed shortly after in 42nd place at 25:31.20. Rounding out the race for Mercyhurst were Bella Homorody in 55th (26:27.80) and Kathleen Tarlo in 63rd (27:40.70).

On the men's side, the Lakers tackled the 8K course and improved upon last year's NEC Championship showing, placing seventh in a field of 81 competitors.

Freshman Thomas Gaydos once again paced Mercyhurst, finishing 14th overall with a time of 26:31.00. His effort earned him a spot on the 2025 Men's XC Championship All-NEC Cross Country Team.

Sawyer Bonnett followed in 43rd place (28:04.60), with Xavier Mohamed close behind in 44th (28:07.30). Max Dillaman finished 52nd (28:26.50), while Daniel Derby and Camden Pierce came in 57th (28:49.50) and 58th (28:50.60), respectively. Alexander Rowe rounded out the Lakers' lineup in 74th (30:56.70).

The Lakers closed their 2025 cross country campaign on a strong note, showing marked improvement in their second Division I season. Many of the runners will now shift focus to the upcoming track and field season, where they'll continue to compete in distance events.