MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – It was a solid showing in their first effort at the true distances in 2026 as the Keene State cross country teams competed at the Cardinal Invitational hosted by Wesleyan University at the Wes Fuhrman Trails Cross Country Course on Saturday.
Featuring a field that included five nationally-ranked teams including four on the men's side, the Owl men finished fifth of nine teams with 145 points while the KSC women were fourth in an eight-team field with 169 points.
Senior
Tyler Bolaske led the way with a seventh-place individual finish in the men's field of 131 in 24:53.0 over the 8K course, while classmate
Griffin Urnezis was 26th with a time of 25:48.6 and junior Nicholas Terranova 31st in 25:58.2. Sophomore
Andrew Klinedinst just missed finishing in the top third, placing 45th in 26:15.6 while breaking his personal 8K record by over 40 seconds. Ben Tetu was 51st in 26:22.6 and
Harper Borden 58th in 26:30.4.
On the women's side, junior
Kallie Warner ran an impressive race, finishing in 22:24.2 to place 11th in a 101-runner field. The time was also over two minutes faster than her 6K time last year at the NCAA regionals and saw her come within 20 seconds of a top six finish. Sophomore
Ellie Tighe also set a new 6K personal best by over 20 seconds, placing 42nd in 23:46.7, while junior
Rita Cummings came in 56th (24:14.7) and classmate
Ava Fortin 59th (24:28.6). First year
Hannah Duva was 68th (24:42.1) in her first full-distance race while
Eleni Papadopoulos (73rd, 25:16.7),
Maya Wedge (78th, 25:30.1),
Summer Bentley (79th, 25:45.2) finished closely grouped.
"Very happy with how today's meet went, we had a competitive field on both the men's and women's sides and I think we performed well," said KSC head coach
Dan Roark. "The men had a really tough field with four teams ranked and getting a fifth was what we were kind of anticipating. We were hoping to be a little bit closer (to the top four) but we had a couple miscues.
Tyler Bolaske fell in the race, and some other things, but coming out with that in that tough of a field, I think we know where we are. Give it a couple more weeks and a couple more trainings and I think the next time we see some of those teams we will be closer. On the women's side we had some really strong performances, most of our team was able to perform at a personal-best, we were able to beat a team ranked above us in the region in WPI. So we had a really solid day, really happy with where we are going and I think we have a lot to improve on. I think it should be a good season…a good start for a first 8K and 6K."
The KSC men entered the meet ranked ninth in the USTFCCCA regional rankings and the women tenth, one spot behind WPI who they edged by seven points today. Wesleyan (nationally-ranked No. 26) won the women's race with 27 points as a team while Kevyn Fish of the United States Coast Guard Academy won the women's race individually in 21:40.0. Wesleyan's Dylan Cote won the men's title in 24:12.4 while 20th-ranked Amherst College compiled 45 points to win as a team. WPI (ranked 28th nationally) was second with 63 points, followed by No. 17 Wesleyan (71 points) and No. 12 Washington & Lee University (77 points) in third and fourth, respectively, before KSC.
The Owls return home in two weeks to host the Keene State Invitational on Saturday, October 3, which is also Alumni Weekend.
