NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (September 10, 2016) – Freshman Tyler Hayes (Kings Park, N.Y.) posted his first collegiate top-10 finish on Saturday morning, as he led five members of the Franklin Pierce University cross country team to finish in the top 25 of an 87-runner field. It all added up to a fourth-place finish (out of eight teams) for the Ravens at the Smith College Cross Country Invitational.

Hayes took his turn to head the Ravens brigade on Saturday, as Franklin Pierce elected to sit some of its top runners for the week. The freshman turned in an 8k time of 28:54.83, which was good for ninth place. Hayes was followed closely by junior Martin Gradijan (Lebanon, N.H.), who finished 12th, with a time of 29:07.09, while freshman Ethan Davis (Tolland, Conn.) also finished in the top 20, by taking 17th place, with a time of 29:16.03.

Franklin Pierce would put all five of its scoring runners in the top 25 on Saturday, as junior Derek Robbie (Bellingham, Mass.) finished 23rd (29:32.88) and freshman Jason Reed (Foxborough, Mass.) placed 24th (29:34.79). Farther down the ledger, three other Ravens would finish inside the top 40: sophomore Anthony Barinelli (Tewksbury, Mass.) in 29th (29:53.61), junior Joshua Ercolini (Woburn, Mass.) in 32nd (30:05.20) and junior Garrett Sarnie (Basking Ridge, N.J.) in 37th (30:27.06).

On the team front, the Franklin Pierce top five added up to 83 points and a fourth-place finish. At the top of the field, Coast Guard (40 points) squeaked out a victory over Babson (44 points), while Springfield (71 points) finished directly in front of the Ravens in third.

The Ravens return to action on Saturday, Sept. 17, when they host the Bruce Kirsh Cross Country Cup at the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds in Hopkinton, N.H.

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' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).