The Siena Men's and Women's Cross Country teams stepped up to the plate on Friday afternoon, as they represented the Saints by putting up solid team finishes. The men's team would finish third of 11 Division I teams, while the women finished fourth of 11 in the championship runs. The Saints topped the likes of programs such as Creighton, DePaul, and St. Mary's (CA).

The men's squad was led by senior Evans Kibet, who finished seventh in the field of 228 runners with a time of 25:12.06. That would be 39.1 seconds off the top finishing time of the race and setting the 11^th fastest time in program history. Junior Stosh Davis turned in the second fastest time for the Saints, finishing 16^th with a time of 25:38.11. Senior William Randell and junior Michael Rautter would bring home top 30 finishes, as Randell came in 25^th with a time of 25:58.23 and Rautter in 28^th with a 26:03.54.

Senior Sarah Forman was the top finishing Saint on the women's side, coming in 14^th of 203 with a time of 18:13.85. Her time would be almost identical to her finish just a week ago in the Saints' home meet at The Crossings of Colonie, when she pulled in an 18:13.5. Junior Sydney Johnson put up a PR time, finishing in 19^th with a time of 18:25.20. She would beat her previous best 5K time by five seconds, which she set earlier this season at Vassar Farm. Freshman Olivia Lomascolo would round out the top three for the Saints, putting up a time of 18:38.64 and finishing 27^th. Juniors Camryn Johnson and Carolyn Pellegrini each collected a top 50 finish as well, finishing 34^th and 42^nd respectively.

Also highlighting the Saints in the Women's Open 5K were freshman Allison Hill, senior Meghan McDonough, and freshman Hannah Gallagher. All three finished in the top 30 of the event, with Hill and Gallagher setting personal records in the race.

"I'm really pleased with our results today," said head coach John Kenworthy. "The men came in with intentions of being a top three team, and we accomplished that goal. The women we had more uncertainty as far as a team finish goal coming in, but we knew what we needed to do individually and getting fourth is a great result. Going toe to toe with some big time programs certainly sets the tone for our season. There is a buzz on the bus ride home. We can't wait for Paul Short in two weeks."

The Saints return to the course Saturday, Sept. 29 when they head to Pennsylvania to partake in the Paul Short Run held at Lehigh University. Races are slated to set off at 9:30 a.m.