Adrian, Michigan - The men's cross country team continued their season with a very good showing at the Siena Heights Invitational. The Saints ventured to Heritage Park in Adrian and raced to a first place team finish. Aquinas, who currently sits at #18 in the NAIA national rankings, outdistanced WHAC foes Madonna and Indiana Tech in the final team standings.

Juan David Hernandez Avila and Brian Langlois paced the attack for the Saints finishing third and sixth overall. The duo from Grand Rapids completed the 8000 meter course in  25:25 and 25:40. Shema Reponse and Charlie Coyle followed up their breakout performances with another very solid effort.  Reponse finished in sixth place (25:47), while Coyle crossed the line in 26:07 to place 11th.  The other scoring position was recorded by Andrew Stern (14th - 26:25).

Assistant Coach Nick Thelen commented, "The men took a strong step forward today, holding off tough competition from Madonna and Indiana Tech. We showed a much stronger team mentality, working together and making moves over the final two miles to lock down the key spots that secured the win. Getting experience on this course was especially valuable, as we'll be back here for the WHAC Championships in just over a month."

Also contributing to Aquinas' top seven were Carson Lafferty, who finished 15th in a time of 26:26 and Jaben Bakker (17th place), who crossed the line at 26:38.

Hernandez, former standout for the Ottawa Hills Bengals added, "It was a great meet overall. The whole AQ team looked super strong, and we just need to keep this momentum going into the later meets and as we get closer to the conference championships."

A total of 148 individuals competed for twelve different institutions.

The Saints will return to action on October 4th as they travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to compete in the Seminole Valley Stampede