Ravens boast five of top-11 finishers

HOPKINTON, N.H. (October 16, 2015) – After ceding the crown to American International a year ago, the Franklin Pierce University men's cross country team reclaimed the title at their own meet on Friday, winning the third annual Bruce Kirsh Cross Country Cup at the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds. Senior Colton Ham (Webster, N.H.) led the Ravens by placing second at the meet, which also served as a preview for the NCAA Championship East Regional.

Ham claimed second with a 5k time of 15:25, which was good for an average mile time of 4:58. He was the first of four Ravens to finish in the top 10, while all five of Franklin Pierce's scoring spots crossed the line in the top 11 finishers. Following Ham were junior Dage Minors (Hamilton Parish, Bermuda) in fifth (15:36), junior B.J. Smith (Concord, N.H.) in sixth (15:49) and junior Jon Holmes (Albany, N.Y.) in seventh (15:50). Junior Dylan Crowley (Woburn, Mass.) rounded out the scoring positions for the Ravens by placing 11th (16:00).

It all added up to just 29 points for Franklin Pierce, which posted a nine-point victory over second-place Southern New Hampshire (38 points). The two ran away from the rest of the field, as Adelphi (80), Merrimack (106) and Bentley (107) rounded out the top five, in that order.

Individually, Ham was edged by just two seconds for first place by SNHU's Ignatio Hernando (15:23). Behind Ham, Adelphi's Michael Grady in third (15:29), SNHU's Tyler McLaren in fourth (15:33) and Minors in fifth rounded out the top five.

The Ravens return to action on Sunday, Oct. 25, when they travel to the Northeast-10 Conference Championship, hosted by Saint Michael's in Colchester, Vt.

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).