Ackroyd Leads Men's Cross Country at Season Opening Suffolk Short Course Classic

ATTLEBORO, Mass. -- Senior Kyle Ackroyd (Charlestown, R.I.) placed 19th out of a field of 163 runners to lead the Bridgewater State University men's cross country team on Saturday morning at the season opening Suffolk Short Course Classic held at the Mark Coogan Cross Country Course in Attleboro, Massachusetts.

Ackroyd covered the five-kilometer course in a time of 16:14.76. Senior Liam Lyons of Division I Holy Cross checked in with the winning time of 15:15.09.

Senior Mitchell Parent (Cumberland, Maine) was the next Bear to cross the line as he posted a time of 17:08.40 to finish 53rd overall.

Juniors Aydan Fournier (Assonet, Mass.) and Brian Vale (Assonet, Mass.) rounded out the Bears top four runners at the meet. Fournier was 66th with a time of 17:29.29 while Vale posted a mark of 17:45.71 to finish 78th overall.

The Bears did not place in the team standings. The top two teams at the meet were Division I programs as the University of the Holy Cross captured the team title followed by the University of New Hampshire in second place. Division III WPI finished third.

The BSU men's cross country team is off until Saturday, September 20th when the Bears compete at the 52nd Annual UMass Dartmouth Invitational.