BRONX, N.Y. – The UMass Lowell men's cross-country team fought through a collection of the region's top teams to earn a 12th-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Northeast Regional on Friday at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

After winning their fourth consecutive America East Championship just two weeks ago, the River Hawks entered the regional race as the 11th-ranked team in the Northeast. The squad totaled 375 points on the day to secure their placement just behind Army, who finished 11th with 330 points. 

"Overall, it was a solid day," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "Both teams fought thoroughout, and we finished right at our team rankings." 

Junior Wouter Van Den Akker (Groningen, Netherlands) was the first River Hawk to finish, crossing the line in 37th place with a personal-best 10k time of 30:24.5. This PR-breaking performance comes after becoming the America East Individual Champion with a personal-best 8k time of 24:07.2. Senior Hunter Marion (Templeton, Mass.) was the next River Hawk to finish, earning 54th place with a personal-best time of 30:41.6. 

"Wouter ran great the second half of the race," said Gardner. "He was just put a little too far back in the first 2k and I'm excited to see what Wouter will do in the next few years. Hunter also had another really good race."

Sophomore Sean Kennedy-Wonneberger (East Haddam, Conn.) and senior Jake Velasquez (Keene, N.H.) rounded out the top 100 for the River Hawks. Kennedy-Wonneberger crossed the line in 86th place with a 31:07.7 mark, while Velasquez finished close behind in 96th place with a personal-best time of 31:18.6.

Senior Joe Young (Dorchester, Mass.) (31:27.0), junior Will Benoit (Fairhaven, Mass.) (31:36.5) and junior Nate DeAngelo (Bristol, Conn.) (31:58.6) also competed in the event, finishing in 105th, 113th, and 142nd respectively.

The River Hawks have a quick turnaround with the indoor season just a few weeks away, beginning with the Suffolk Invitational on Saturday, December 2 at the TRACK at New Balance.