STANDISH, ME – Sophomore cross country runner Joe DiSalvo (Derry, N.H.) has garnered GNAC Runner of the Week accolades.

DiSalvo finished in eighth place with a career-best 26:32 effort in the 2012 Raiders Invitational 8K on Friday. The time ranks as the third-lowest recorded by an SJC runner since the 1992 campaign and is 1:21 faster than his previous best, which was a 27:53 in last year's Raiders Invitational on September 23rd, 2011.

Only two-time GNAC Runner of the Year Ryan Prescott '09, who ran the 2007 NCAA Regional Championship in 26:15 and the 2008 Pop Crowell Invitational in 26:23, has recorded a better time than the effort DiSalvo posted last week.

For DiSalvo, who claimed GNAC Rookie of the Week mention on September 12th, 2011, the conference weekly honor is the second of his career. 

Saint Joseph's will compete at the Keene State College Invitational on Saturday at 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.