GALLOWAY, N.J. – The UMass Lowell men's cross country team turned in an impressive team performance to earn its second America East Conference Championship in three years on Friday at Seaview Golf Course in Galloway.
 
The win marks the team's third title overall since joining the America East back in 2013-14. The men also combined with the River Hawk women for a UMass Lowell sweep of the championship event.
 
"The men exceeded all expectations," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "After not running well two weeks ago, they ran incredibly well today. They put themselves in perfect position throughout and worked together really well as a team."
 
The River Hawks took the top three spots and six of the top ten in the 8K race to earn the victory. Senior Kyle Cloutier (Lancaster, Mass.) crossed the line first in a time of 24:39.31, followed by last year's individual champion Christopher Alfond (Ashby, Mass.), who finished in 24:42.95, and junior teammate Drew Everett (Amesbury, Mass.), who rounded out the top three with a time of 24:44.39.
 
"You could see after two miles how comfortable the guys looked," added Gardner. "You just knew they were going to run great. Putting six in the top 10 was just icing on the cake."
 
Cloutier, Alfond and Everett were joined by senior Derek Holmes (Marshfield, Mass.) on the All-Conference First Team. Holmes finished seventh overall in a time of 24:57.27. Seniors Daniel Cosgrove (Boxford, Mass.) (25:07.48) and Ben Drezek (Cumberland, R.I.) (25:08.46) represented the River Hawks on the America East All-Conference Second Team, as well.
 
Freshman Jake Velazquez (Keene, N.H.) was named Most Outstanding Rookie after finishing the 8K in 17th place with a time of 25:35.41.
 
The Elite 18 Awards, which honor the event medalists with the highest GPAs, were also bestowed today, as Drezek earned one for UMass Lowell for boasting a 3.97 in exercise physiology.