HOPKINTON, N.H. – Graduate student Jan Wouter Van Den Akker (Groningen, Netherlands) finished in 10th place in the men's 10k race, as the UMass Lowell men's cross country team secured a seventh-place finish at the NCAA DI Cross Country Northeast Regional at Hopkinton Fairgrounds in Hopkinton, N.H., on Friday afternoon.

"We are absolutely ecstatic," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "Both teams are so young, and it's hard getting in your first real championship race like that. We were eighth coming in, and we finished seventh. During the race, they ran with so much maturity. At 2k we were in 15th, at 4k we were in 12th, at 6k we were in 10th, at 8k, I think, we were in eighth, and then we ended up seventh. We had three guys on the All-Region team, and we haven't done that in a couple years. For them to run with that maturity, as a team, and work their way through it, I couldn't be more impressed with how they raced."

After finishing in 10th place in the men's 10k event today, Van Den Akker qualified for the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships for the first time in his collegiate career. The long-distance runner also earned a spot on the All-Region team by placing in the top 25. The graduate student recently captured first place at the 2025 AE Men's Cross Country Championship, becoming the America East Men's Cross Country Individual Champion.  

"It's super important to me," said Van Den Akker. "This is a goal I've worked towards my whole career here at UMass Lowell. You could've probably seen it at the finish line, I was super emotional, it means the world to me and I'm super happy I can be there next week. Like I said, I've worked towards this my whole career, every single day, every summer, every winter, so it means everything to me. I'm super excited, and I can't wait for the NCAA Cross Country Championships." 

Redshirt freshman Devin Moreau (Tyngsboro, Mass.) and senior Sean Kennedy-Wonneberger (East Haddam, Conn.) both finished in the top 25 in the men's 10k event, with Moreau placing 21st and Kennedy-Wonneberger finishing 24th. Their performances earned them spots on this year's All-Region team.

Sticking near the front throughout the men's 10k race, Van Den Akker gave it his all, earning 10th place after crossing at 29:25.9. Following closely behind, Moreau finished past the line at 30:02.5 for 21st place, while Kennedy-Wonneberger clocked in at a time of 30:09.3, claiming 24th place. 

Sophomore Isaac Henderson was next for the River Hawks, finishing 76th with a time of 30:54.7. Two UMass Lowell runners stayed attached, as freshman William Conklin (Danvers, Mass.) placed in 109th (31:18.8), and graduate student Nate DeAngelo (Bristol, Conn.) took 112th place (31:19.5). Junior Keegan Tierney (East Greenwich, R.I.) was the final River Hawks runner to finish, claiming 139th place at 31:41.6, respectively. 

Van Den Akker prepares for the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships, taking place next Saturday, November 22, in Columbia, Mo., at Missouri.