WATERFORD, Conn. - The Messiah Men's Cross Country team finished 16th out of 26 teams at the Connecticut College Invitational, taking advantage of the cool, cloudy conditions conducive to running fast while racing against a strong field of competitors. Nine nationally ranked NCAA Division III teams as well as many other regionally ranked squads competed at the meet, demonstrating the strength of the competition the Falcons ran against. The Falcons' team score of 436 points earned them 16th overall against squads that the Falcons do not compete against very often. The Falcons were the only Middle Atlantic Conference team in attendance, and amongst regional foes, the Falcons were accompanied only by Marywood, which finished 7th overall with a team score of 215 points. The Falcons' top 5 total time on the day totaled 2:10:48 with an average top 5 time of 26:09. This figure is a significant improvement over last week's totals from a very hilly course but behind the Falcons' efforts from the Lock Haven Invitational several weeks ago, the site of their best collective efforts so far this season. While conditions were nearly perfect, the course's surface was littered with patches of gravel, rocks, and sand, which made gaining traction and maintaining a rhythm very challenging.
 
Falcon racers were divided into two races, the White race and the Blue race. The White race was the first to occur on the day and served as the open race for the competition, while the Blue race was made up of only the top eight runners from each team as selected before the race. 
 
The top finisher for the Falcons on the day was Louka Fetter, who finished with a time of 25:02.5, narrowly missing out on having the second sub-25 clocking of his career. Fetter also finished just outside of the top 25 overall, with his efforts on the day earning him 26th place amongst a very competitive field. Fetter spent much of the race trailing at the back of the leading group but was unable to make decisive inroads up the field from any point thereafter. Fetter maintained very consistent splits throughout his race, passing through the 2.8K mark in 33rd place and picking off a handful of fading competitors to finish in 26th overall.
 
The Falcons' second finisher was Noah Calisti, who finished in 93rd overall with a time of 26:10.6. Calisti's race represented an extremely strong effort, earning himself the highest team finish ever in his career only eight seconds behind his personal record. After starting behind John Condon, Calisti caught his teammate after the second mile and pushed ahead to maintain a similar standing around his competitors. Calisti passed through the 2.8K mark in 91st place and ran evenly to the finish to place 93rd, demonstrating again his incredible consistency. 
 
Kyle Costello finished as Messiah's third finisher, a remarkable improvement on his performance from the previous week. Costello's final time of 26:25.1 was the second fastest of his career and earned him 110th place overall. Costello started cautiously just behind Calisti and tracked behind his teammate's move before running with John Condon for a time. Costello managed to distance himself from his teammate during the final mile, splitting the same time as Calisti during that stretch to finish strongly.
 
John Condon was the fourth Falcon across the line on the day, placing 117th overall with a time of 26:34.0. Condon started very quickly and was ahead of Fetter for the entirety of the first kilometer, and he later had Calisti and Costello for company at different points in the race. During the final mile, Condon tracked behind the move made by Costello to cap his efforts on the day.
 
Josh Bauman rounded out the top scoring five for the Falcons with a strong performance, placing just behind Condon in 119th in a time of 26:35.9. Bauman started much more patiently and maintained very consistent splits throughout his race. Bauman's swift efforts during the final mile closed the gap to Condon and capped what was overall a very strong performance for him on the day. 
 
Jonathan Wyrick was the sixth finisher for the Falcons with an exceptionally strong effort. Wyrick was one of three Falcons to set personal records on the day, beating his previous PR by seven seconds to finish with a time of 26:42.6 in 131st place. Wyrick was the most consistent Falcon racer on the day, with his fastest and slowest mile being a mere eight seconds apart.
 
Tyler Billet rounded out the scoring runners for the Falcons with a team finish of seventh, finishing with a time of 26:45.2 in 133rd place. Billet ran with Bauman for much of the race before his teammate's surge and thereafter ran closely behind Wyrick, nearly making up the gap before the finish.
 
Zeke Colyer was the last Falcon to compete in the Blue race, finishing with a time of 27:01.2 in 147th place. Colyer finished only eleven seconds behind his personal record and finished with the second fastest final mile amongst Falcons on the day, emphasizing his exceptional close.
 
Multiple Falcon racers also turned in strong performances from the White race, with Evan Sarkett leading the charge. Sarkett started with several teammates before breaking away during the second mile and maintaining the gap to finish with a time of 27:21.0.
 
The trio of Nathaniel Coggins, Sean Baxter, and Lance Kauffman competed closely with one another for the first half of the race after Sarkett's move. Baxter surged during the second mile, but Coggins tracked behind his teammate and maintained splits similar to Sarkett to finish closely behind Sarkett with a time of 27:31.8, a new personal record. Baxter finished shortly thereafter in another personal record time of 27:45.2, demonstrating the strong performances on the day by both men. Kauffman tracked behind his teammates' moves during the race and finished with a time of 28:10.5, rounding out the top twelve for the Falcons.
 
Five of the six remaining Falcon racers started together in a large pack before Nathan Kimmel, Xander Smith, and Josiah Carnwath separated themselves during the second mile. Kimmel sped up remarkably throughout the race to register an impressive finishing time of 28:25.3. Carnwath and Smith tracked behind Kimmel's move for a time before Smith pulled ahead in the final mile to finish with a time of 28:57.5. Jackson Hazen finished very quickly to overtake Carnwath just before the finish in a time of 29:05.1, with Carnwath following in a new personal record time of 29:08.9. Ray Truex, who ran closely behind Hazen for much of the race, followed his teammates closely to the finish with a time of 29:29.1. Derek Guissanie rounded out the Falcons' efforts on the day with a finishing time of 32:09, which represented a very strong second effort on the season.
 
What's Up Next
 After Fall Break, the Falcons will next compete on October 28th at the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Cross Country Championships, hosted by Misericordia University at Letterkenney Fields. The Falcons will aim to compete strongly on the difficult, hilly course alongside many teams that have achieved numerous strong performances throughout the season. The battle to defend the Falcons' team trophy earned at last year's edition of the Conference Championships promises to be very competitive and hard-fought, and the Falcons look poised to compete strongly in two weeks' time.
 

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