MONTGOMERY, N.Y. – Fairfield University Men's Cross Country returned to competition Saturday afternoon, running in the MAAC Championship at Twin Ponds on the Farm in Montgomery, N.Y.
Alex Petersen set the pace for the Stags, finishing the 8k course at 28:02.7.
Right behind Petersen,
Olli Muniz and
Jack Putnam finished neck-and-neck, completing the course with times of 28:21.4 and 28:22.0, respectively.
Ryan Lindley was not far behind this group, crossing the finish line at 28:30.5.
In his MAAC Championship debut,
Colin Shand ran 28:41.1. Rounding out the Stags lineup were
Kenny Power and
Chase Orciuch, who each finished the 8k championship course at 29:01.9 and 29:12.9.
As a team, the Stags finished 10th in a tough MAAC field. Fairfield was just one point shy of ninth place and only seven points out of eighth place on the team ledger. The Stags sent three sophomores and four freshmen out on the course today as the only squad without an upperclassman in the field.
Iona won the team crown for an unprecedented 33rd consecutive season, placing five runners among the top six and seven within the top 10 finishers. Damien Dilcher set the individual pace with a time of 24:25.0.
The Stags' 2023 campaign comes to an end on Friday, Nov. 10 at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, NY, at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship.