LORETTO, Pa. – The Mercyhurst cross country teams finished their first meet of the season Saturday, Aug 30 at Saint Francis. Last season, the men finished fifth of six teams and the women finished in sixth. The men finished in third place with 96 points and the women finished in fourth place with 106 points. 

The sunshine and relatively smooth surface provided favorable conditions for the participants. Two Lakers finished in the top 25 for the men's 6k race while three Lakers finished in the top 25 for the women's 4k. 

The women kicked off the season competing against 41 runners from Duquesne, Saint Francis, CCSU and Juniata. The first Laker to cross the finish line was Molly McIntyre with a time of 16:08.00 in 17th place. Freshman Rowan Milliron finished in 22nd with a time of 16:17.80. Kaila Szczygielski placed 25th with a time of 16:28:30. 

The next Laker to complete the race was Bella Homorody at 16:55.90. Reagan Pettis finished two places behind Homorody at 17:01.50. The next three finished consecutively. Hannah Palmer ended at 17:28.30, Caitlyn Dugan at 17:38.40, and Kathleen Tarlo at 17:58.70. 

The men completed their 6k against 52 racers from the same colleges plus Penn State Altoona and the Red Flash Alumni. Thomas Gaydos finished his first collegiate race strong with a sixth-place finish at 19:22.20. Xavier Mohamed finished next in 21st place at 20:05.50. The next one to finish was Sawyer Bonnet with a time of 20:25.70. Camden Pierce finished 20 seconds after Bonnet at 20:46.60. Daniel Derby completed the race a few places after Pierce with a time of 21:09.70. 

The Lakers will compete in Erie next Friday, Sept. 5 at Gannon's Race in the Park.