BOSTON, MASS. (September 26, 2024) – The Beacons' men's and women's cross-country teams travel west on Saturday to Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, for the Founding Tree 6k/8k Invitational.

The Beacons enter this week fresh off their first reps at varsity race distances from the UMass Dartmouth Invitational in North Dartmouth, MA, on Saturday, September 21^st. From there, the Beacons faced less-than-ideal conditions for a cross-country race as they dueled with the wind, rain, and mud through a larger course.

Despite this, Head Coach Ozzie Brown had this to say following the squad's performance at UMass Dartmouth: "Despite this [poor weather conditions], our teams ran well! It was a great day to see the conference course like this, so we will be prepared for anything that comes our way!"

Ahead of the Founding Tree Invite, Coach Brown said, "I'm very excited for the women to run the 6k distance and to see where we will be. The men will continue to develop their training and get used to racing at the 8k distance."

For the men's team, junior Robert Cannon (Quincy, Mass.) leads the pack with a 28:40.7 mark to chase following the UMass Dartmouth Invitational. On the women's side, junior Grace Colon leads the Beacs with a 20:32.1 opening mark this season, just 14 seconds off her personal best.

Colon, Cannon and the Beacons cross country teams will look to continue to progress closer to championship form on Saturday, with conditions expected to be clearer than last week's. For race results and recap, stay tuned here at UMass Boston - Official Athletics Website (beaconsathletics.com).