BOSTON - After three trips to the Franklin Park cross country course last year, the Regis College cross country team returned to the highly-utilized trail for its only time this season, competing against several top Division III teams as well as Boston University and Northeastern University at the Suffolk Invitational Saturday afternoon.
Ashleigh Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.) led the Pride women by finishing 12th overall, fourth among competitors from Division III programs, with a six-kilometer time of 24:04.7, averaging 6:27.5 per mile. Kelley lowered her school record time on the Franklin Park course by over 14 seconds, the fourth time this year she has posted a program-best mark on a specific course.
Erin Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.) also posted a top-25 finish, crossing the finish line in 25th place overall with a time of 25:00.9, her best on the Franklin Park course. Madelyn Klein (Framingham, Mass.) completed her first collegiate six-kilometer race in 26:20.5, good enough to finish in 47th place overall.
Libby Parker (Bow, N.H.) posted her best collegiate six-kilometer time by 36 seconds, finishing in 80th place with a time of 28:16.2. Elizabeth Stevenson (Scituate, Mass.) also completed a six-kilometer course for the first time as a collegiate student-athlete, ending up in 90th place with a time of 28:54.7.
Annabelle Jean-Philippe (Randolph, Mass.) finished in 95th place in 29:15.5, over 45 seconds faster than her previous six-kilometer best time. Jonnie Charest (Methuen, Mass.) posted a time of 30:46.2, followed by Katie Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.) in 32:55.8. Jessica Williams (Fiskdale, Mass.) completed her first career collegiate cross country race for the Pride.
As a team, the women finished eighth overall, sixth among Division III programs, with 236 points. Northeastern won the overall team title, with the University of New England placing first among Division III schools.
For the men, Benjamin Happenny (Woonsocket, R.I.) crossed the finish line first among Regis competitors with an eight-kilometer time of 31:46.9. Greg Seraus (Winooski, Vt.) completed his first career collegiate race and posted a time of 34:04.4 in the process.
AJ Corso (Broad Brook, Conn.) finished with a time of 36:42.9, followed by Ben O'Neal (New Britain, Conn.) in 40:13.4, Chris Margiatto (Suffield, Conn.) in 41:04.4, and Jacob O'Neal (New Britain, Conn.) in 42:15.2. As a team, the Pride finished in 18th place overall, with Boston University taking the overall title and Plymouth State topping the list of Division III programs.
Regis College will now prepare for the 2022 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Cross Country Championships Saturday, Oct. 29, hosted by Saint Joseph's College in Standish, Maine. The women's six-kilometer race is scheduled to start at 1 p.m., followed by the men's eight-kilometer event at 2 p.m.