NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. (September 18, 2021) -- Sophomore Wondu Summa (Burlington, Vt.) set a new program five-mile record on Saturday at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational, as he led the way for the Franklin Pierce University men's cross country team. He ran a 24:42 time to take eighth place, out of 256 runners, and led the Ravens to an impressive fourth-place finish, out of 33 teams.

Franklin Pierce put a pair of runners in the top 20, on the way to 137 points. At the top of the field, Division I UMass Lowell tallied just 44 points to run away with first place, while Division III members Trinity (Conn.) and Worcester Polytechnic took second and third at 107 and 108 points, respectively. Behind the Ravens, Babson rounded out the top five at 180 points.

Summa's eighth-place time was just over one minute behind the individual winner, Suffolk junior Matyas Csiki-Fejer (23:36). It marked the first time Summa had ever run the five-mile distance, and he knocked off a program record, which had previously been set on the same course by Antoine Gisore '15, in the process. In all, the Ravens had four runners post times which qualify for the program's all-time top-10 list.

Behind Summa was senior Riley Fenoff (Danville, Vt.), who took 19^th for his 25:07 time. In 34^th was graduate student Sebastien Vicary (Ulceby, United Kingdom) with a time 25:33. He was followed by senior William Aylward (Peabody, Mass.), who ran a 25:34 to take 35^th. In 45^th was sophomore Ryan Outerbridge (Paget, Bermuda), who crossed the line in 25:52 to round out Franklin Pierce's scoring five.

Next for the Ravens was sophomore Thomas Darrah (Thetford, Vt.) in 51^st, who had a time of 26:08. Sophomore Ryan Walker (Seabrook, N.H.) was shortly behind with a time 26:81 for an 80^th-place finish. Sophomore Evan McNeice (Wethersfield, Conn.) was in 169^th with his 28:26 time.

Franklin Pierce also fielded runners in Saturday's junior varsity race as well, headed by senior Cody Tallent (Bellows Falls, Vt.), who took 16^th out of 135 competitors with a 26:35 time. Freshman Harrison Pelosi (Gloucester, Mass.) took 22^nd with a time of 27:30. In 24^th was freshman Logan Mihelich (Northwood, N.H.), who ran the race in 27:41. Next for the team was sophomore Ntakirutimana Janvier (Burlington, Vt.) with a 36^th place finish and a time of 28:06. Sophomore Mitchell Stokes (Worcester, Mass.) took 45^th for a 28:28 time. In 58^th was freshman Michael Eggers-Emerson (Contoocook, N.H.), after he crossed the line in 29:07. Freshman Cole Cooper (North Hampton, N.H.) ran a time of 29:20 to earn 67^th place. Junior Ibrahim Ayyash (Worcester, Mass.) took 95^th for his 31:16 time, while senior Jack Lang (Shelter Island, N.Y.) took 99^th for his 31:34 finish.

The Ravens will be back at it on Saturday, Oct. 2, when they host the Bruce Kirsh Cup in Hopkinton N.H.