NASHUA, NH – The Saint Joseph's men's cross country team placed sixth with 161 points in the 2012 Raiders Invitational 8K, hosted by Rivier University, on Friday afternoon. Sophomore Joe DiSalvo (Derry, N.H.) was the top SJC finisher and placed eighth overall with a career-best 26:32 performance.

Having rostered five of the top six individual finishers, Merrimack College glided past the eight-team field with 17 team points, easily in front of runner-up Norwich University, which tallied 68 points on the afternoon. Saint Anselm College was third (84), Emerson College fourth (108) and New Hampshire Technical placed fifth (149) while the Monks finished ahead of Southern New Hampshire (181) and Rivier (216).

The first three athletes to cross the finish line were all Merrimack runners, as Nick Christensen (25:20), Sherif Ali (25:47) and Aaron Maurais (25:52) took the top three slots. Saint Anselm's Kevin Morse (25:57) and Merrimack's Joseph Smith (25:59) rounded out the top five individuals.

For St. Joe's, Taidghe Hagan (Reading, Mass) enjoyed a solid outing with a 28:15 time and Jeff Merrill (Fitchburg, Mass.) sported a 30:14 performance. Andrew Caron (Gardiner, Maine) (30:50) and Billy Brooks (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) (32:07) completed the SJC top five.

Sam Dunay (Groton, Conn.) (32:36), Bryndon Page (Windham, Maine) (34:39) and Mark McCarraher (Franklin, Mass.) (38:48) also competed in the 8K race for the Monks.

Saint Joseph's resumes action next Saturday with an appearance in the Keene State College Invitational. Start time is slated for 11:00 AM.

Saint Joseph's College, founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy, celebrates its Centennial year in 2012 with a theme of "Realize the Promise" – honoring our commitment to educating well-rounded graduates who combine career focus with classic liberal arts studies. A Private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts institution, Saint Joseph's welcomes students of all ages and all faiths. The campus, located 18 miles northwest of Portland and just two hours from Boston, encompasses 350 acres along the shore of beautiful Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine. Enrollment ranges between 1,000 and 1,100 students annually. Saint Joseph's offers challenging academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education, nursing and business fields in a value-centered environment.