River Hawks Kick Off 2026 Season at Vermont
9/5/2026 6:16:00 PM | Men's Cross Country/Track & Field, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
ST. ALBANS, Vt. – The UMass Lowell men's and women's cross country teams kick started the 2026 season on Saturday at the Vermont Invitational at Hard'Ack Recreation Center in St. Albans.Â
"We accomplished what we wanted to today," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "We wanted the newcomers and a few athletes that missed significant time last year to get in a controlled effort."
For the men's four mile race, three River Hawks led the team, finishing consecutively in sixth, seventh, and eighth place. Freshman Gage Magnuson was first with a 20:49.2 mark, before freshmen Sean Finnegan and Benjamin Schildgen claimed eight and ninth with times of 20:49.7 and 20:54.2, respectively. Fellow Freshman Luke Zahurak was just behind them in 11th place, finishing in 20:56.5, just before freshmen Lucas Gomez earned a time of 21:01.4 for 13th place.Â
Freshman Jimmy Kelly (20th, 21:56.8), senior Seyha Rath (21st, 21:56.9) and freshman Shane Leslie (23rd, 22:15.9) also competed for the River Hawks.Â
On the women's side, freshman Rosie Bradley led the team in the 5k race, claiming fifth place with an 18:41.5 mark. Just four other River Hawks competed, as freshman Kate Leonard finished in 12th place with a 19:13.8 mark, before junior Haley Evans and freshman Paige McInerney took 15th and 16th place, respectively, with times of 19:34.8 and 19:42.1. Freshman Lilah Hall rounded out the River Hawk runners in 25th place with a time of 20:28.4. Â
"The first year men and women ran well within themselves and will help us this season and in the future which really made today exciting," said Gardner.
The teams will now look forward to the UMass Dartmouth Invitational on Saturday, September 19.Â
"We accomplished what we wanted to today," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "We wanted the newcomers and a few athletes that missed significant time last year to get in a controlled effort."
For the men's four mile race, three River Hawks led the team, finishing consecutively in sixth, seventh, and eighth place. Freshman Gage Magnuson was first with a 20:49.2 mark, before freshmen Sean Finnegan and Benjamin Schildgen claimed eight and ninth with times of 20:49.7 and 20:54.2, respectively. Fellow Freshman Luke Zahurak was just behind them in 11th place, finishing in 20:56.5, just before freshmen Lucas Gomez earned a time of 21:01.4 for 13th place.Â
Freshman Jimmy Kelly (20th, 21:56.8), senior Seyha Rath (21st, 21:56.9) and freshman Shane Leslie (23rd, 22:15.9) also competed for the River Hawks.Â
On the women's side, freshman Rosie Bradley led the team in the 5k race, claiming fifth place with an 18:41.5 mark. Just four other River Hawks competed, as freshman Kate Leonard finished in 12th place with a 19:13.8 mark, before junior Haley Evans and freshman Paige McInerney took 15th and 16th place, respectively, with times of 19:34.8 and 19:42.1. Freshman Lilah Hall rounded out the River Hawk runners in 25th place with a time of 20:28.4. Â
"The first year men and women ran well within themselves and will help us this season and in the future which really made today exciting," said Gardner.
The teams will now look forward to the UMass Dartmouth Invitational on Saturday, September 19.Â
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
/ Men's Cross Country/Track & Field
Monday, May 11
Monday, May 11
Wednesday, March 25
Sunday, February 22
