MONTGOMERY, NY - The Monmouth University men's and women's cross country teams kicked off their season in Montgomery, NY at the Jasper Winter XC Invitational Saturday afternoon. The men finished in first place with 32 points and the women came in second with 45 points. These performances come 350 days after the last time the Monmouth Hawks laced up their shoes all the way back in 2020.
 
On the men's side, junior Louis DiLaurenzio (Hazlet, NJ / Raritan) placed second out of 60 runners with a time of 25:59.5. James Hoffman (Ocean Township, NJ / Ocean) finished 16.1 seconds later in third with a time of 26:15.6. Sophomore Cameron Janovic Oceanport, (NJ / Shore Regional) was right there with Hoffman and finished in fourth with a time of 26:17.5.
 
For the women, freshman Allie Pierontoni (Woolwich, NJ / Kingsway Regional) led the Hawks individually, finishing in first place out of 56 runners with a time of 18:22.9. Freshman Katie Locker (Elizabethtown, PA / Elizabethtown Area) finished 30.1 seconds later in fifth place for the Hawks with a time of 18:53.0. Coming in ninth was McKenzie Delahanty with a time of 19:01.2.

NOTES AND QUOTES
"That was fun! Our first competition in over 11 months; it did not disappoint. Both groups competed with grit today. The course was basically all slush and mud. Both teams executed their race plans and moved up through the competition. Having the individual winner on the women's side was awesome as well as the men's team champs. Overall, it was a great opportunity and we're excited about the MAAC meet in two weeks."
-Monmouth head coach Mike Nelson
 
- This was the first collegiate win for Allie Pierontoni.
- This is the first time there has been winter cross country.
- No one runner has raced this course before.
- The focus going in to today was pure racing and placement over time.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
- Five teams competed today (Monmouth, Manhattan, Siena, Rider, and Quinnipiac).
- First time racing in 350 days for the Monmouth Hawks.
- The men's team had individuals finish three in a row placing second, third, and fourth.  
 
NEXT UP
- The Hawks look to compete in the MAAC Cross Country Championships in Galloway, NJ on March 5th.