BOSTON - America East cross country teams turned in several strong performances this weekend as Seven programs competed this past throughout New England, New York and Indiana.

NEED TO KNOW

• The Black Bear women swept the Maine State Meet, taking first with 19 points, while the men finished second with 47 points. Evelyn Wool took home the individual title on the women’s side
• The River HAwk Lowell men finished second in the UMass Dartmouth Gold 8K, while 11 River Hawks finished consecutively from second through 12th in the Navy 8K.
• The New Hampshire men placed fifth in the Gold 8K, led by Gavin Malark’s ninth-place finish, while the women finished sixth in the Gold 6K.
• The Bryant women finished third in both the Gold and Navy 6K races, with Natalie Persson winning the Gold 6K. The men placed ninth in the Gold 8K.
• The Vermont women finished sixth at the Maribel Sanchez Souther invite, while the men placed seventh. First-year Zoey McNabb led the women with a ninth-place finish.
• The UAlbany women placed eighth at the Jasper invite, while the men finished 11th. Skyler Smith led the women with a ninth-place finish.
• NJIT sophomores Lasse Bjørn Jensen and Jessie Fotheringham represented the Highlanders at the John McNichols Invitational, the same course where the NCAA Championships are held

#AEXC Weekly Award Winners – Sept. 21
Female Performer of the Week
Evelyn Wool, Maine – So., Harvard, Mass.
- Won the individual title in the women’s 6K at the Maine State Meet with a time of 21:17.3, finishing 9.1 seconds ahead of the next competitor.
- Her performance helped Maine win the team title with 19 points, with the Black Bears placing seven runners in the top 10.
- This is Wool's first #AEXC Performer of the Week honor.

Female Rookie of the Week
Natalie Persson, Bryant – Fr., Töreboda, Sweden
- Won the women’s Gold 6K at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational with a time of 21:20.29.
- This is Persson's first #AEXC Rookie of the Week honor.

Male Performer of the Week
Chris Guerin, UMass Lowell – So., Shrewsbury, Mass.
- Ran personal best  at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational, leading the River Hawks with a time of 24:46.90 in the men’s Gold 8K.
- Finished eighth overall out of 240 runners.
- This is Guerin's first #AEXC Performer of the Week honor.

Male Rookie of the Week
Sean Finnegan, UMass Lowell – Fr., Hopkinton, Mass.
- Finished 21st overall out of 240 runners in the men’s Gold 8K at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational with a time of 25:16.15.
- This was Finnegan’s 8k debut
- This is Finnegan’s first #AEXC Rookie of the Week honor.

2026 Weekly Award Winners

Sept. 2 - Male Performer: Eamon Burke, Vermont; Male Rookie: Myles Head, Maine; Female Performer: Zoey McNabb, Vermont; Female Rookie: Zoey McNabb, Vermont
Sept. 9 - Male Performer: Bobby Mayclim, Binghamton; Male Rookie: Seb Melero, Bryant; Female Performer: Kelley MacElhiney, Bryant; Female Rookie: Taylor Blackwelder, NJIT
Sept. 21 - Male Performer: Chris Guerin, UMass Lowell; Male Rookie: Sean Finnegan, UMass Lowell; Female Performer: Evelyn Wool, Maine; Female Rookie: Natalie Persson, Bryant.
 

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Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference its social media channels, @AmericaEast. 

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