LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell men's and women's cross country/track & field program came together at Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua, New Hampshire on Friday, December 5, for the annual UMass Lowell XCTF Kickoff Banquet.

Coaches, athletes, alumni, families and friends of the program all sat together in one room, celebrating the program's past, present and future.  

Freshmen Allessandra Forgione and Will Conklin kicked off the event, introducing the Class of 2029, before Head Coach Gary Gardner took the stage with Deputy Athletic Director, SWA & Sport Administration Sandra Roecker for some opening remarks. At the conclusion of the remarks, they showcased videos recapping the 2024-25 season.

Following the recap video, Gardner remained on stage to honor the track and field athletes that earned academic awards for the 2025 indoor and outdoor seasons, as well as this past cross country season. That list included 2025 America East Indoor All-Academic honorees, Ali Grasso, Sarah Ross and Luke Stelmach, 2025 America East Outdoor All-Academic honorees, Grasso, Ross, Stelmach, James Kotowski and Derek Munroe, as well as 2025 America East Cross Country All-Academic honorees, Georgia Brooks, Dante Castellano and Nate DeAngelo.

The Class of 2028 was introduced next by sophomores Georgia Brooks and Mike Fisher, before current junior thrower, Nhyira Nkansah, and former UMass Lowell javelin thrower, James Kotowski, took the microphone to introduce a tribute video to Coach Barbara Smith, honoring her 30+ years of coaching excellence, as well as her commitment and dedication to the program and her athletes.

The delicious dinner was next, followed by Assistant Coach Joseph "BK" LeMay introducing the 2025 Cross Country Season Recap video and Jayani Santos and Brandon Riley introducing the Class of 2027.

The focus then shifted to the future, as Associate Head Coach intro'd the Look Ahead Video, which featured athletes from all classes, detailing their journey to UMass Lowell as well as their thoughts on the years ahead.

Former UMass Lowell and Olympic runner, Ruben Sança was the keynote speaker for the banquet, but that was not until Gardner gave Sança an official induction into the Northeast 10 Hall of Fame. Following Sança's keynote speech, the River Hawk Coaches honored the graduating class with a senior tribute and gifts that included a framed photograph. Slides of each graduating athlete with their career achievements wwre displayed in the background as they came up to take a photograph with Coach Gardner.    

Kylie Marion and Ethan Mashtare then introduced that Class of 2026, before Gardner took the stage one last time for some closing remarks to wrap up the event.

To see the full photo gallery from the 2024 Kickoff Banquet, click here.

Next up, the UMass Lowell cross country/track and field program looks forward to seeing friends and alumni at the George Davis Hockey Invitational on Saturday, January 17, where Coach Davis will be in attendance this year. To register, click here.