RESULTS
When and Where: September 1, 2017 – Belmont Plateau Park (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Results: Southern New Hampshire University – 4th/4 (82)
Senior Tyler McLaren (Pepperell, Mass.) finished fifth overall in a field comprised primarily of Division I student-athletes on Friday, as the Southern New Hampshire University men's cross country team opened its 2017 season at the Temple University Cross Country Invitational at Belmont Plateau Park.
McLaren navigated the eight-kilometer course in 26:22, which slotted him behind Emmanuel Rotich (Tulane University), Marc Steinsberger (Temple University), Kristian Holm Jensen (Temple University) and Bakri Abushouk (East Carolina University). He was just over five seconds behind Abushouk for fourth, and 16 seconds ahead of his next closest competitor.
Freshman Micah Hewiston (New Market, Md.) and senior Andrew Tuttle (Alton, N.H.) were next in for the Penmen, as they narrowly missed out on the top-20. Hewiston turned in an impressive 28:17 in his collegiate debut, which was good enough for No. 21 overall, while Tuttle clocked in just behind him in 28:20 to check in at No. 23.
In his first race in a Southern New Hampshire singlet, freshman Cedric Jocelyn (Nyack, N.Y.) earned a top-25 finish in 28:33. Sophomore Michael Moreno (Houston, Texas) rounded out the SNHU top-five with a time of 28:40, while junior Chris Burrill (Exeter, N.H.) was one spot behind Moreno in 28:43.
Freshman Jack Ardrey (Milford, Conn.) was next across for Southern New Hampshire with an official time of 29:32, and junior John Sanborn (Chichester, N.H.) followed in 30:19. Freshman Pedro Pereira (Danbury, Conn.) turned in a 31:01 showing before senior Rafy Castillo (Danli, Honduras) completed the Penmen contingent with a time of 32:56.
Notes:
- McLaren's performance on Friday was the 12th-fastest 8K time in program history. He now owns eight of the top-20 8K times in the history of Southern New Hampshire University men's cross country.
- The race consisted of 41 racers from four institutions and unattached entries.
- The host Owls captured the team competition with a total of 29 points, while East Carolina followed with 56 points and Tulane was third with 69 points.
What's Next:
The Penmen are back in action next Saturday (Sept. 9) when they travel to Randolph, Vermont for the Vermont Tech Invitational.
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