Colton Ham Finishes Second to Pace Men's Cross Country to Third Place Finish at Pop Crowell Invitational
Joe Trujilo finishes 19th for a solid showing
WENHAM, Mass. (September 29, 2012) -- Freshman runner
Colton Ham (Webster, N.H.) finished second and was
the highest collegiate finisher Saturday, as he guided the Franklin
Pierce University men's cross country team to a third-place finish
out of 25 teams at the Pop Crowell Invitational in Wenham,
Mass.
Ham ran the five-mile race in a time of 26:00.2 and was bested only by Antoine Gissore in the individual standings, as the unattached runner won the race in a time of 25:45.2. Bates College won the team title, while Westfield State finished as the runner-up.
Following Ham for Franklin Pierce was rookie Joe Trujilo (Derry, N.H.), who placed 19th in a time of 27:08.7. Classmate Isaac Fithian (Kingston, N.H.) was the third Raven to finish among the top-25 of the individual standings as he placed 25th with a mark of 27:16.0. The field at the Crowell featured 275 harriers competing in the race.
Freshman Chaz Munroe (Concord, N.H.) ran the event in a time of 27:35.1 and placed 33rd, while rookie Ryan Cross (Suffern, N.Y.) followed in 35th place in a time of 27:41.5.
It marked one of the highest team finishes for the men's side in program history and is the highest finish for the squad since it was reintroduced as a varsity sport starting with this season.
Franklin Pierce returns to action next Sunday when the Ravens compete in the New England Championships in Westfield, Mass. The five-mile race will begin at 12 p.m.
For more information on Franklin Pierce men's cross country, please visit the team's page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens). Franklin Pierce cross country/track & field can also be followed further through head coach Zach Emerson and his Twitter account (www.twitter.com/RavensCoachXCTF). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce cross country/track & field apparel can do so on the athletic department's brand new online store at athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store(.)