RESULTS (8K)

ST. ALBANS, Vt.—The UMass Lowell men's cross country team excelled Saturday afternoon at the 2022 Vermont Invitational, opening the season with an impressive first-place team finish.
 
"The men ran extremely controlled the first mile of the race then worked their way up each following mile," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "That's exactly what we discussed before the race. They really raced perfectly."
 
Sophomore Landen Vaillancourt (New Ipswich, N.H.) led the impressive effort for the River Hawks, clocking the top time in the men's 8K with a 25:14.4 pace. The first-place time marked a new personal best for the underclassman as he shaved nearly 45 seconds off his previous best.
 
"[Coach Gardner] told us to just stay relaxed through the first section of the race. My teammates communicated with one another well, and when we got around the 5K mark, I took the reins, attacked the hills and pulled ahead as far as I could," said Vaillancourt.
 
Vaillancourt marked just one of UMass Lowell's four top-10 finishes in the men's 8K. Junior Henry Farrington (Essex Junction, Vt.) and sophomore Joseph Curran (Nashua, N.H.) rounded out the top five in third and fifth, respectively, off 25:51.50 and 25:54.80 times.
 
Continuing the outstanding underclassman outing, sophomore Will Benoit (Fairhaven, Mass.) clinched eighth overall with a final mark of 26:04.80. Rookie Nathanael Fondakowski (Pelham, N.H.) solidified the resounding River Hawk victory with a time of 26:23.50 to finish eleventh in his collegiate debut. 
 
UMass Lowell hopes to continue its early season success on Saturday, Sept. 17, when the team travels to the UMass Dartmouth Invitational in North Dartmouth, Mass.