LEBANON, Pa. — A young St. Mary’s College of Maryland men’s cross country team finished second at the United East Conference championships Nov. 1, scoring 65 points behind champion Penn State Berks’ 50, according to SMCM Athletics.
Sophomore Brandon Smoot of Hanover led the Seahawks in ninth place in 27 minutes, 2.7 seconds. First-year Connor Walsh of Ellicott City was right behind him in 10th at 27:09.8, giving St. Mary’s two runners in the top 10.
The finish is notable for who produced it. Three of the Seahawks’ five scorers are first-year runners, a sign the program’s depth should carry into next season. St. Mary’s finished well clear of third-place Lancaster Bible, which scored 96, and Pennsylvania College of Technology, which scored 108.
Seahawk finishers
| Place | Runner | Year | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Brandon Smoot | Sophomore | 27:02.7 |
| 10 | Connor Walsh | First year | 27:09.8 |
| 13 | Pierson Hogue | Junior | 27:52.3 |
| 14 | Reylouson Vilmenay | First year | 27:56.2 |
| 19 | Simon McGillivray | First year | 28:07.6 |
| 22 | Blake Carberry | 28:18.4 | |
| 25 | Kal Yewlsew | First year | 28:59.0 |
| 27 | Noah Fisher | Senior | 29:05.1 |
Junior Pierson Hogue of Ellicott City placed 13th, first-year Reylouson Vilmenay of Washington, D.C., was 14th and first-year Simon McGillivray of Brunswick rounded out the scoring five in 19th.
Smoot has been the team’s top runner before. He led the Seahawks at last year’s NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, according to SMCM Athletics, and the team won its own Seahawk Classic in September.
The runner-up finish came on the same afternoon the St. Mary’s College women won the conference title by one point, extending their streak to six straight.
Up next
The Seahawks’ next race is the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional later this month.
