Ravens finish with seven in top-20

PHILADELPHIA (September 12, 2015) – After watching one of their teammates from the women's squad claim the individual crown at the Philadelphia Metropolitan Championships, the Franklin Pierce University men's cross country team took all the drama out of the 8k men's event at Belmont Plateau on Saturday. The Ravens claimed four of the top six spots in the race on the way to a blowout victory at the event, which was hosted by Philadelphia Univ.

The Ravens had their first seven runners cross the finish line before any other team had three do the same. Given only a team's top five runners count for scoring purposes, this left no doubt which squad would leave the City of Brotherly Love with the trophy. Franklin Pierce collected just 28 points on the day, posting a 70-point victory over Nyack (98 points), which finished second. Behind the Warriors, Bloomfield (107), host Philadelphia (130) and Post (150) rounded out the top-five, in that order.

The victory was the fifth for the Ravens since the program was re-established in 2012. It was the team's first win since laying claim to the UMass Dartmouth Invitational on Sept. 20, 2014.

Senior Colton Ham (Webster, N.H.) led the way for the Ravens in second place, with a time of 28:15.5. Junior B.J. Smith (Concord, N.H.) was hot on his heels at 28:22.5 to finish third. A pair of freshmen took fifth and sixth, respectively, as Peter Saviano (Sandown, N.H.) ran a 28:58.0 and Christopher Lord (North Andover, Mass.) posted a 29:05.0. In 13th place, sophomore Luke Thresher (Coventry, Conn.) rounded out Franklin Pierce's scoring five with a 30:01.0, completing the victory early in Saturday's proceedings. Ultimately, the Ravens had nine runners finish in the top-25 at the event.

Chestnut Hill sophomore Giancarlo Martines (28:01.7) took the individual title just under 15 seconds in front of Ham. Felician junior Mike Secreti (28:43.6) took fourth and was the only other non-Raven to make his way into the top-five.

The Ravens return to action on Saturday, Sept. 19, when they travel to the UMass Dartmouth Invitational in Dartmouth, Mass. to defend their title from a year ago.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce cross country apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).