DARTMOUTH, Mass. – The UMass Lowell men's cross country team ran impressively at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational on Sunday afternoon, finishing in third place as a team with 96 points.

"Overall a good day," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "Great experience for our kids in the varsity races to see how they react with a little pressure."

Senior Hunter Marion (Templeton, Mass.) was the top River Hawk finisher in the varsity 8K race, collecting fourth place with a time of 24:31.00. Classmate Jake Velazquez (Keene, N.H.) finished just behind him in fifth place with a 24:51.34 mark. Freshman David McKinnon (Bloomsbury, N.J.) ran well in his second collegiate race, grabbing 23rd place with a time of 25:25.59, while fellow freshman Timothy Walsh (Auburn, Mass.) crossed in 30th with 25:31.66 mark.

"Hunter and Jake both ran excellent and will definitely help us this season," said Gardner. "Really pleased with how David McKinnon bounced back from a tough debut at Vermont and ran well today."

A pair of River Hawks in sophomore Hatim Boukhtam (Abington, Mass.) and junior Andrew Benassi (Reading, Mass.) finished consecutively in 37th and 38th place, respectively. Boukhtam earned a mark of 25:45.44, while Benassi came in at 25:47.53. Freshman Nicholas Marcotte (Hudson, N.H.) collected a 57th-place effort (26:08.76), while sophomore Joshua Rivers (Manchester, N.H.) (60th, 26:11.15) and freshman Ryan Taylor (Egg Harbor, N.J.) (67th, 26:20.99) rounded out the River Hawk finishers. 

The men also had 17 runners participate in the sub-varsity 8K race, with eight River Hawks taking the top eight spots and all 17 runners finishing within the top 39.

"Our runners in the sub-varsity races used it as an ice breaker to get ready for future races," said Gardner. "They were excellent for both teams and I am looking forward to seeing them race for real in a few weeks."

Next up, the River Hawks will travel to Boston on September 29 for the Battle in Beantown.