MIDDLETOWN, CT. -- The Amherst College men's cross country team delivered a strong performance at the Cardinal Invitational, finishing third overall with a score of 66 points, behind Wesleyan (44 points) and MIT (44 points), the Mammoths showed impressive depth with five runners in the top 20 and a tightly packed scoring spread.

Amherst's total time of 2:05:36 averaged out to a 25:07 per runner, highlighting both consistency and strength across their lineup.

TOP FINISHERS:

• Parker Boyle '26 paced the Mammoths with a 7th-place finish in 24:52.6, running just over five minutes per mile.
   
• First-year Carter Bengtson was close behind in 8th (24:53.2), marking an impressive collegiate invitational debut.
   
• Senior captain Henry Dennen added veteran stability, placing 14th in 25:09.4.
   

DEPTH IN THE PACK:

Rounding out Amherst's scoring five were:

• First-year Caleb Barnes in 17th (25:15.5)
   
• Senior Thomas Stephens in 20th (25:26.2)
   

The Mammoths' scoring spread of 34 seconds from Boyle to Stephens underscored their tight pack running, a strength that could serve them well later in the season.

ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS:

• Ben Kasen '27 clocked 25:37.7 for 26th place, pushing the back end of the top five.
   
• Will Peterson '28 ran 26:09.7 for 36th, gaining valuable early-season experience.
   
• Finn O'Hara '27 crossed in 26:21.9 (40th), followed by Jacob Connolly '26 in 26:25.5 (42nd).
   
• Veteran Harrison Talcott '26 finished 46th (26:37.8), while first-years Tim Churchill (26:55.8) and Chris Onsomu (28:11.6) added depth to the lineup.
   
• Rounding out Amherst's contingent were George Cahill '25 (27:11.3), Paolo Canigiula '25 (27:51.6), Gregory Baldinucci '27 (28:47.7), Andy Krasner '28 (29:04.9), and Carter Rauch '27 (29:30.2).
   

LOOKING AHEAD:

* Next up for the men is the Paul Short Run at Lehigh University on Friday, October 3rd.