Lynch, Cran lead Seahawks at Connecticut College Invitational

WATERFORD, Conn. – Sophomore Aidan Lynch (Little Silver, N.J.) and freshman Greg Cran (Wrentham, Mass.) posted their best 8,000-meter times of the season to lead the Salve Regina men's cross country team at the Connecticut College Invitational on Saturday.

Racing against national-caliber competition, Lynch and Cran delivered steady race performances on a saturated course at Harkness State Park. The grass course, soaked and softened by heavy rain on Thursday and continued precipitation on race day, yielded fast times nonetheless. Lynch crossed the finish line at 28:47.2, with Cran just 11 seconds behind. 

All seven Seahawks who laced up their spikes on Saturday managed season-best performances. The race also marked career-best times for freshman Richard Stanley (Warwick, R.I.) and senior Brendan Clancey (Middletown, R.I.).

Salve Regina performances included:
322. Aidan Lynch – 28:47.2
330. Greg Cran – 28:58.6
362. Riley Rancourt – 29:48.7
369. Chandler Da Cruz – 30:12.7
384. Richard Stanley – 31:40.6
385. Brendan Clancey – 31:40.8
392. Brendan Kelly – 32:44.5

The meet included six programs ranked in the most recent national poll from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, and several others with regional rankings. No. 16 Amherst topped No. 8 Williams – 72-76 – for the team title. No. 12 Middlebury finished third with 96 points. The field of 27 teams also featured No. 28 Connecticut College, No. 29 St. Thomas of Minnesota and No. 30 Dickinson.

Dickinson senior Eric Hermann was first across the finish line with a time of 24:43.7. The first five finishers all managed to break 25 minutes, and nearly all of the top 50 finished in less than 26 minutes. There were 402 runners in the field.

Salve Regina returns to action at the Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship on October 27.