Ravens second among Division II competition

DARTMOUTH, Mass. (September 19, 2015) – Junior B.J. Smith (Concord, N.H.) and senior Colton Ham (Webster, N.H.) finished one behind the other in 10th and 11th place on Saturday, to lead the way for the Franklin Pierce University men's cross country team at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational. Junior Jon Holmes (Albany, N.Y.) in 18th made it three in the top-20, as the Ravens finished fourth out of 43 teams.

The Ravens finished as the second Division II squad competing at the event, as their 141 points were bettered only by Brandeis (93 points), East Stroudsburg (116) and Connecticut College (125). East Stroudsburg is a fellow Division II member, while the other two compete at the Division III level. Another Division III member, Keene State (176), rounded out the top five behind Franklin Pierce.

Smith put together a five-mile time of 25:37.18, which was good for an average mile of 5:07.5 and put him 10th in the 324-runner field. Ham was hot on his heels with a 25:38.56 to place 11th, while Holmes took 18th in 25:55.35. The remainder of Franklin Pierce's scoring five placed in the top 60, as freshman Christopher Lord (North Andover, Mass.) placed 54th with a time of 26:47.29, and junior Dage Minors (Hamilton Parish, Bermuda) finished 60th with a time of 26:50.29.

Individually, Southern New Hampshire junior Ignatio Hernando took home the title with a time of 25:13.61. He edged out Southern Connecticut State senior Dieter Gutbrod (25:15.01) by less than two seconds at the line.

The Ravens return to action on Saturday, Sept. 26, when they travel to the Codfish Bowl in Boston.

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).