BALTIMORE, Md. – The Franklin & Marshall men's cross country team took seventh place as a team at the 2021 Centennial Conference Championships. The Diplomats scored 186 points as a team and nearly edged Gettysburg, ranked seventh in the region, for a top-six spot in the challenging conference.

Bennett Wasch was the top finisher for Franklin & Marshall with a time of 27:24.0 to place 31st in the field. That finish was a significant improvement from his first-year at the conference meet as he jumped 46 spots in the individual standings. Alex Fillman (28:07.7), Alfonso Knoll (28:16.7), and Connor Ashnault (28:19.0) were also among the top 50 finishers in the field. Knoll made his conference championship debut in cross country on Saturday, while Fillman and Ashnault both showcased huge strides made since the 2019 meet.

Alex Miller (28:46.6) was the team's fifth finisher in his championship debut, just beating Mike Maglione (28:48.5) to the line. Sam Eisner (28:58.4) was the team's seventh finisher. Jake Naddelman (29:38.4), Ryan Braun (29:46.3), Stephen Finck (29:46.3), Owen McCann (29:55.6), and Dan Gaiewski (30:07.0) also competed in the varsity race. In addition to those finishers, Tommy Towers (30:24.0) and Jack Emrey (32:48.6) placed 21st and 35th, respectively, in the open race.

Men's cross country will continue its postseason in two weeks when the Diplomats travel to Newville, Pa. for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship. With a new 10-region format this year, the top team from that region will advance to the NCAA Championship in addition to any at-large selections. The top seven runners on non-advancing teams will also compete at the NCAA Championships which are set for Saturday, November 20 in Louisville, Ky.