GETTYSBURG, PA (October 14, 2023) – Bright and early this morning, our men's cross-country team traveled to Gettysburg College to compete in the Aubrey Shenk 8K Invitational. Despite the cold temperatures and rain, the River Hawks came out with many great performances, finishing seventh out of 25 teams with 232 points.

First-year Evander Lackman had a breakout race with his 26:05.3 time leading the team and a 25th-place individual finish. Seasoned runner TJ Grenda braved the elements for a 30th-place finish with a time of 26:21.8. Asa Alderman took 35th with his time of 26:23.1, while Lukas VanDine was the team's fourth sub-27 runner at 26:57.2 for 62nd overall.

The biggest PR for the men was junior Jonathan Witcoski, with his second PR of 31:47.8. Leaving him with a 2 minute 18 second personal best! Junior Andrew McDowell gained a time of 30:15.3, a new personal best 2 minutes, 10 seconds faster. Next up were Joshua Kimotho and first-year James Dell, each shaving over a minute off their times for their second round of PR's. Kimotho with a time of 28:40.6, Dell finishing with a 35:02.4. First-year Kenny Battistelli earned a 37 second faster time of 31:46.7, this is his second PR of the season. Jack Compton and Senior Declan Griffin each raced 33 seconds faster. Griffin finishing with a time of 28:24.8 making this his season best. Compton came out with a 30:49.0 making this his second PR. Junior Blandin Conklin gained a time of 29:04.2, 30 seconds faster for a new season best.

"Overall, a great day for both squads considering the cold temperatures and rain," related head coach JJ Clinchoc. "They stuck to the plan of being a pack for two miles then racing. Excited to see what the pack mentality will bring us in two weeks!"

The River Hawks have their Ashley Tomlinson 4K Alumni Run next Saturday morning as part of Homecoming Weekend.