NEW LONDON, N.H. - Regis College battled four other schools, all members of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, as the Pride competed in the Charger Cross Country Invitational Friday evening, hosted by Colby-Sawyer College.
In the women's five-kilometer event, Libby Parker (Bow, N.H.) was Regis' top finisher, ending up in eighth place in 22:38.9. Elizabeth Stevenson (Scituate, Mass.) also posted a top-10 placement as she finished ninth with a time of 23:47.3.
Olivia Rosano (Methuen, Mass.) completed her first collegiate cross country meet by finishing 12th in 24:35.1, followed by Jonnie Charest (Methuen, Mass.) in 14th place in 25:16.0. Katie Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.) was close behind in 15th place with a time of 25:27.1, and Annabelle Jean-Philippe (Randolph, Mass.) finished in 18th place in 26:01.2.
As a team, Regis finished second with 58 points, ahead of third place Lasell's 68 points. Host Colby-Sawyer placed its five runners within the top seven to cruise to the team title, with Saint Joseph's College and GNAC newcomer New England College also competing.
In the men's five-kilometer race, Benjamin Happenny (Woonsocket, R.I.) once again crossed the finish line first among Regis runners, placing seventh overall in 17:34.1, a half-minute faster than his previous best five-kilometer time. Zach Sigman (Buffalo, N.Y.) also posted a personal-best time over the distance, finishing eighth in 17:49.5, a 55-second improvement over his time at the 2021 Wellesley Invitational.
Chris Margiatto (Suffield, Conn.) earned a personal-best 5K time of 22:39.9, good enough for 28th place overall. In their first collegiate cross country competition, Zach Myrick (Southington, Conn.) finished 31st with a time of 24:24.0 and Kederson Pierre (Everett, Mass.) completed the course in 25:07.4 to end up in 34th place.
The Regis men finished fourth in the team standings with 84 points, just behind third place Lasell's 77 points. In a tight contest, Saint Joseph's College placed three runners within the top four to earn the team title with 33 points, just ahead of the host Chargers with 38 points.
The Regis College cross country team heads to Northampton, Mass., next Saturday, Sept. 9, for the Smith College Invitational starting at 10 a.m.