HOPKINTON, N.H. (September 17, 2016) – Freshman Aidan Gilbride (East Kilbride, Scotland) led the way with a ninth-place finish on Saturday morning, as the host Franklin Pierce University men's cross country team placed fifth, out of 11 teams, at the Bruce Kirsh Cross Country Cup. The meet was held at the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds, which will also serve as host of the NCAA East Regional for the second straight year in November.

Gilbride ran an 8k time of 26:40.8 to lead the Ravens on the day, with his time being good enough for ninth in the 127-runner field. He was followed closely by senior B.J. Smith (Concord, N.H.) who ran a 26:48.4 to place 12th. Senior Dage Minors (Hamilton Parish, Bermuda) made it three Ravens in the top 25, as he took the 23rd position, with a time of 27:25.2.

Franklin Pierce would wind up with six runners among the top 50 finishes on Saturday morning. Senior Jon Holmes (Albany, N.Y.) in 33rd place (27:47.1) and freshman Jeff Reddy (Chester, N.H.) in 45th place (28:31.4) rounded out Franklin Pierce's scoring five on the day. Junior Derek Robbie (Bellingham, Mass.) rounded out the top-50 in 50th, with a time of 28:40.0.

It all added up to 112 points and a fifth-place finish for the Ravens on the day. Up front, Southern New Hampshire and Bentley each finished with 70 points, with SNHU taking the team title via tiebreaker. Adelphi took third (78 points), followed by Wilmington (Del.) in fourth (109 points), just three points ahead of the Ravens.

The Ravens return to action on Saturday, Sept. 24, when they travel to the Harry F. Anderson Invitational, hosted by Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, N.Y.

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).