Cross Country Squads Compete at Bryant Invitational

The Harvard men’s and women’s cross country teams kicked off their seasons on Saturday as they traveled to Smithfield, R.I., to compete in the Bryant Invitational. The Crimson faced stiff competition at the invitational, including the nationally-ranked Providence College Friars on the men’s side. Though the meet was not scored, Harvard coach Jason Saretsky used it as a means to provide his younger runners with experience racing at the collegiate level.

“It was our first meet of season,” Saretsky said. “We ran primarily freshmen and sophomores. It was good for them to shake some of the rust off and get a race under their belt.”

Freshman Ryan Meehan led the way for the men’s team with a time of 15:36.74, good for an 11th-place finish. Classmate Alaina Alvarez paced the women’s team, covering the five-kilometer course in 18:20.06. Alvarez’s time was good for 7th overall in the women’s race.

The Crimson placed three other runners in the top-20, as sophomores Alaina Murphy and Morgan Kelly, along with freshman Viviana Hanley, finished with times of 18:36.12, 18:45.17, and 18:52.44, respectively.

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