BETHLEHEM, PA – Competing at one of the largest collegiate cross country meets on the East Coast, Siena Cross Country saw a school record broken amid a successful day on the course on Friday. The Saints once again took part in the 47^th running of the Paul Short Run at the Goodman Cross Country Course on the campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
 
Senior Olivia Lomascolo highlighted strong team performances on both sides by setting the program record in the women's 6k and becoming the first woman in program history to break the 21-minute mark in the race. The Ballston Lake, NY native ran a time of 20:44.3 to break the previous mark run by program great Sydney Johnson at the 2019 Paul Short Run (21:17.3). Lomascolo holds part of four school records, including the 6k, the 5000-meters, the 4x800 relay, and the distance medley relay marks.
 
"The Paul Short event is always a great grand opener for our season," Head Coach John Kenworthy said. "We get to see the best in the country and most of the MAAC, and see where we stack up. I felt like our women had a day that really represents where we're at right now. Taking 17^th in that field is a great showing. The men can definitely run better, but our front group stepped up and showed that we have a lot to work with. I feel like we're in a good spot moving into October with our biggest races to come!"
 
Lomascolo's performance set the tone for a 17^th place finish for the women in the College Gold 6k, which featured perennial national powerhouses such as Northern Arizona, Villanova, and Utah State. The squad placed fifth among 11 regional participants and second to Monmouth (16^th) among MAAC teams.
 
Graduate student Regina Rosati (21:39.0) finished second in the women's College Gold race among Siena runners and also put forth a best time that was good for the fourth-fastest time in program history. The Saints also received sold runs from junior Elaine Atanasova (21:58.0), junior Sophia Vinciguerra (22:03.9), Freshman Kayla Schmidt (22:17.5), junior Delia McDade Clay (22:32.8), and freshman Claire Gardner (22:53.6).
 
The Men's College Gold 8k field was equally as competitive, with North Carolina taking the top spots and Villanova, Princeton, and Utah State following behind. The Saints took 23^rd as a team to finish ninth out of 13 regional participants and second among MAAC teams.
 
Junior Brandon Olden led the Saints on the men's side with the third-fastest 8k time in program history (24:28.0), good for a personal best and behind only record holder Evans Kibet and Siena Hall of Famer Joe Rukanshagiza. Graduate student Aidan Canavan placed second among Siena runners with a time of 24:52.6, while graduate student Stosh Davis ran third at 24:56.8. Other top Siena Men's finishers included sophomore Ryan Shanahan (25:38.4), junior Tommy Anderson (25:48.3), senior Owen Walker (26:12.0), and junior Matthew Laframboise (26:20.6).
 
Siena will continue its Fall 2021 campaign with a pair of events next week, with select runners competing at the Penn State National Open and others heading to the UAlbany Invitational on Friday, October 15.