New London, NH - The Vermont State University Lyndon men's cross country team opened their season Saturday morning at the Charger Incitational, hosted by Colby-Sawyer College. The Hornets finished in third place as a team, behind Lasell University and the host Chargers.
Sophomore Andrew Joncas (Danville, VT) turned in Lyndon's top individual performance, completing the 5K course in 20:17.4. The Hornets' other scoring runners were Jack Giarrusso (Greenville, NY), who finished eighth in a time of 24:03.1, and Jacob McPhail (Brooksville, FL), who finished ninth in 24:13.1. Caleb Ruch of Lasell took individual honors, crossing the finish line in 16:19.4.
Three other Hornets competed. Junior Brayden Pepin (Island Pond, VT) and sophomore Max Kocha (Palm Beach Gardens, FL) finished just behind Giarrusso in 24:32.8 and 25:05.1 respectively, while junior Owen Traynor (Rutland, VT) finished in 31:45.7
Lyndon head coach Chris Chichester was thrilled with his team's performance. "It was an incredible showing for the men's squad today. Placing four runners in the top ten was a pleasant surprise. The enthusiasm from the guys today was palpable and Drew nearly broke 20 on his first race in the highlight of the day."
The Hornets will travel to the University of Maine at Farmington next Saturday for the North Atlantic Conference Preview Meet. Start time for the men's race is 11:00 am.
