DOYLESTOWN, Pa. - The Messiah men's cross country team earned the win today at the Aggie Invite hosted by Delaware Valley College, a meet that served as a MAC preview on the same course that will host the conference's championships later in the season. The Falcons earned the team win out of a total field of nine teams, also besting seven MAC teams on a rolling, scenic course set on uneven and often difficult terrain. The Falcons showcased incredible depth overall with a winning score of 28 points, with a number of athletes crowding the top of the finishing order. The Falcons occupied half of the race's top ten with five athletes and also enjoyed having nine racers in the top 20. The Falcons' depth allowed them to put distance on Misericordia (second place, 51 points) in the team point totals, surpassing the Cougars even as they placed four inside the race's top six. Both teams finished strongly ahead of Stevens (third place, 83 points) and York (fourth place, 104 points) in the team standings. The Falcons' strong winning performance at today's conference preview bodes very well for their following races and the championships to come in two months. 
 
The Falcons will return to action next weekend at the Dickinson Long/Short Invitational, hosted at Big Spring High School, the site of the NCAA DIII XC Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships later in the season. After a successful race at the site of the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships today, the Falcons will hope to replicate that success next week as they preview another course and look forward to late-season success come November.
 
Race Action
 
Senior Louka Fetter finished as the Falcons' top racer and also managed to take the overall race win after a competitive sprint in the home straight. Fetter led by himself for most of the race after running his first two miles with senior teammate John Condon but was caught and passed by a late charge from sophomore Kaleb Kabakjian and another athlete inside the last kilometer. Fetter rallied during the final stages of the race and kicked away to the win by a margin of 2.4 seconds, finishing with an overall time of 26:03.70. Second place clocked a time of 26:06.10, while Kabakjian finished third overall and as the second Falcon with a time of 26:19.20. Kabakjian began his race cautiously with a second pack of Falcons behind Fetter and Condon but moved up substantially in the final two miles of the race to give Fetter company in the race's closing stages.
 
After running the first two miles with Fetter, Condon enjoyed the company of sophomore Samuel Hennett and senior Sean Baxter and ran with them for much of the fourth and fifth miles of the race. Condon had the strongest close of the trio, clocking a time of 26:46.80 to finish in 7th overall. Baxter mounted an incredible surge over the last mile to just lean past Hennett at the finish line, ending up as the fourth Falcon with a personal best time of 26:50.50. Hennett finished right behind as the fifth Falcon with a time of 26:50.70 in his first eight kilometer race, an excellent performance for the freshman to contribute to the Falcons' team score. 
 
Kyle Costello was next in the finishing order for the Falcons, finishing in sixth amongst his teammates and in 11th place overall with a time of 27:18.40. Costello opened up his race quickly by running slightly ahead of Baxter, Hennett, and Kabakjian, and maintained his place well over the final two miles to finish just two places adrift of Hennett. Senior duo Zeke Colyer and Nathaniel Coggins ran their entire races together to finish shortly after Costello, turning in respective times of 27:26.90 and 27:27.90 to finish as the seventh and eighth Falcons in 14th and 15th places overall. Senior Tyler Billet and sophomore Jackson Kay ran a similar operation to finish as the ninth and 10th Falcons, ending up with respective times of 27:51.60 and 27:53.50. Billet opened up his race slightly ahead of Kay with sophomore Micah Kao before Kay pulled ahead during the fourth mile, with Billet ultimately turning in the strongest finish to finish one spot ahead of his teammate in 20th overall. Kao ran strongly in isolation from any teammates to finish 11th amongst his teammates with a time of 28:28.70. 
 
Junior Evan Sarkett rounded out the top dozen for the Falcons, finishing in 12th amongst his teammates and in 38th place overall with a time of 28:52.10. Sarkett began his race in isolation from any teammates before finding the pack of Ryan Klemick, Nathan Seibert, and Larsen Cooper during the third mile, with the quartet passing through the three-mile mark in a time of 17:55. The group remained together through the fourth mile before Sarkett pulled away in the final mile, with Klemick following closely behind with a time of 28:54.00. Freshman Larsen Cooper and Nathan Seibert rounded out a group of four Messiah athletes in a row, turning in respective times of 28:55.50 and 29:00.90. Freshmen Samuel Meyer and Nathan Steen, both of whom spent parts of their race with the aforementioned pack, were the next Falcons to finish with respective times of 29:21.70 and 29:36.40. 
 
A final pack of Falcons was made up of Daniel Satariano, Jared Walker, and Samuel Mateer starting their race together and remaining together through the first two miles. Satariano pulled away over the second half of the race to finish with a time of 29:55. Walker followed next with a time of 30:19.90, while Mateer crossed the line with a time of 31:06.60. Matthew Rush stopped the clock with a time of 31:22.60, while Gavin Coggins rounded out the Falcons' efforts with a time of 32:05.30. 
 
What's Up Next
 
The Falcons will return to action next weekend at the Dickinson Long/Short Invitational, hosted at Big Spring High School, the site of the NCAA DIII XC Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships later in the season. After a successful race at the site of the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships today, the Falcons will hope to replicate that success next week as they preview another course and look forward to late-season success come November.
 

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