BETHLEHEM, Pa.—The UMass Lowell men's cross country team faced its first major test of the season on Friday at the 2022 Paul Short Invitational, finishing 13th overall in the Men's College Gold 8K.
 
"We had a few kids making their first appearance today. They really had to get their footing, which is normal," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "We know where we are [at this point in the season], and we know we will be much better in a month for conference."
 
Senior John Riley (Quincy, Mass.) and graduate student Drew Everett (Amesbury, Mass.) led the way for the River Hawks. The pair of experienced runners handled the high-level competition well, finishing within the top 50 out of 416 competitors.
 
"John and Drew had good openers [today]. There is definitely still more there for them," commented Gardner.
 
Riley crossed first for the men's crew, taking 31st with a 23:30.6 time. Everett found his way over the line just seconds later in 23:33.5 to take 38th in the event.
 
"The team ran pretty well today. Today was much better than we've run here in the past few years. The times were much faster this year than usual," remarked Riley. "I expected the time that I ran to be winning the race, but I am happy with how I competed given it's only September."
 
Several River Hawks tested their progress in the Men's Open 8K event. Juniors Paul Neilan, Joe Young (Dorchester, Mass.) and Henry Farrington (Essex Junction, Vt.) all turned in top-30 times against some of the country's best runners. Neilan was first to finish with a final mark of 24:35.2, followed by Young in 24:38.5 and Farrington in 24:42.7.
 
"I think this sets us up well. We can build off [today] and start to win championship races near the end of the season," concluded Riley.
 
The River Hawks return to action next weekend at the New England Championships at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass.