LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena Cross Country was tied up all over the northeast Friday, with select runners taking part in the Penn State National Open in State College, Pennsylvania, while others stayed in-town to run at the R.K. Munsey XC Invitational in Albany, New York.
 
The Saints turned in some impressive times at their first-ever go-around at the Penn State meet, with the men finishing sixth and the women placing 11^th in the competitive regional field. Junior Brandon Olden led the way for the men's squad in the men's 5.2 mile race with a time of 26:01.4 and a 13^th place finish. Graduate student Stosh Davis (26:38.6) placed 33^rd individually and second among Siena runners, graduate student Aidan Canavan (41^st, 26:54.8), junior Matthew Laframboise (48^th, 27:07.9), and sophomore Christopher DeForest (49^th, 27:08.9) rounded out the team's top-5.
 
Senior Olivia Lomascolo placed 19^th individually for the women in the 5k with a solid time of 21:35.2, while junior Elaine Atanasova took 49^th with a mark of 22:29.7. Freshman Kayla Schmidt (69^th, 22:46.1), junior Delia McDade Clay (84^th, 23:00.6), and junior Sophia Vinciguerra (104^th, 23:18.3) rounded out the top-5 finishers on the women's side.
 
Siena's hometown contingent turned in a third-place finish on the men's side and a sixth-place women's finish at the crosstown event hosted by the Great Danes. Junior Keira Cohen placed second overall in only her third meet in a Siena singlet with a time of 18:47.0 in the women's 5k. Freshman Keira Flaherty placed 20^th with a time of 19:48.6 as the Saints' second finisher, while freshman Lizzie Brown (31^st, 20:14.4), sophomore Miranda Gilbert (39^th, 20:43.0), and freshman Anna Grucza (44^th, 21:10.0) followed behind.
 
The men's 8k race was guided by senior Owen Walker, who took 11^th with a mark of 26:25.2, while freshmen Noah Greski and Luke Tkaczyk finished 18^th and 19^th, respectively, with times of 26:52.7 and 26:56.3. Freshman Collin Clinton took 26^th with a time of 27:28.9, while junior Peter Alden rounded out the team's top-5 performers with a time of 28:01.1 and 34^th place finish.
 
Siena will compete at its final tune-up before the 2021 MAAC Cross Country Championships when it takes part in the CCSU Mini Meet at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut on Friday, October 22.