LOUDONVILLE, NY – Seven MAAC members got a taste of the course that will decide the 2022 cross country conference champion later this fall, competing at the fifth annual Siena Cross Country Invitational at The Crossings of Colonie in Loudonville, New York Saturday morning. Siena welcomed 13 regional competitors to the Capital Region for the meet, including national talent and a collection of the top runners in the MAAC.

The Saints saw their men take second place and women finish third in the competitive field, which featured an NCAA Division III nationally-ranked RPI as the winner on the men's side, and MAAC rival Quinnipiac as the women's victor. The women also finished just three team points behind Bucknell, who made its first-ever showing at the event.

Siena fifth year Olivia Lomascolo highlighted the team's first full competition of the year by claiming the women's 5k individual title for the second straight year, clocking a Crossings course record of 17:57.4. Senior Delia McDade Clay followed behind to secure a 1-2 finish for the hosts with a mark of 18:04.5. Rounding out Siena's scorers at the race were sophomore Claire Gardner (29^th, 19:12.7), junior Katharine Hesler (31^st, 19:16.3), and senior Elaine Atanasova (34^th, 19:29.2).

The men's race saw another back-to-back finish for the Green and Gold inside the individual top-ten, with senior Brandon Olden taking fifth place with a time of 25:28.8 and classmate Aidan Gillooley finishing sixth at 25:30.3. Williams senior Elias Lindgren took the men's individual title with a course record time of 24:51.1 in the 8k, while RPI's Matthew Lecky (24:56.3), Bucknell's Samuel Whittaker (24:59.9), and Mount St. Marys' John Wang (25:25.6) followed behind. Siena's top-five was rounded out by sophomore Luke Tkaczyk (16^th, 25:49.4), junior Killian McNamee (20^th, 25:58.6), and junior Ben Guerin (22^nd, 26:00.1).

The meet comes a month and a half before Siena hosts the 2022 MAAC Cross Country Championships at The Crossings on October 29, 2022, which will mark the second time that the event will be run on the course. The Saints' season continues on Saturday, September 24 at the Ted Owen Invitational in New Britain, Connecticut.