LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall men's cross country team opened its 2024 season with its home invitational against Elizabethtown while a number of alumni also returned to Baker Campus to compete in the two-mile race. The Diplomats raced to a second place team finish in their first event of the season, scoring 46 points on the night. Elizabethtown won the F&M Invitational with a team score of 18, while the F&M Alumni totaled 76 points.

Owen McCann grabbed a top five finish as the first Diplomat across the line with a time of 10:14.7. The F&M senior was one of three Diplomats in the top 10 as Sean Gorman (10:19.0) and Holden Brown (10:23.6) took home respective seventh and ninth place showings.

Seamus Downey (10:40.5), Aiden Cotter (10:43.5), and Zach Houff (10:44.4) swept the 15th through 17th positions in the race which featured 38 finishers as three first-years were among F&M's top six runners. Cole Smith (10:52.0) was the seventh F&M runner across the line, with Tommy Tapino (10:53.7), and George Williams (10:59.6) finishing just behind him. Habibullah Oberoi (11:03.5), Addison Neuen (11:07.6), and Andrew Li (11:21.6) also made their collegiate debuts as a part of the 12 team members who competed in the season-opening meet.

Men's cross country returns to racing in exactly one week as the Diplomats will take part in the Little Three Meet that is set for Friday, September 6. Dickinson will serve as the host of the 2024 Little Three Meet which additionally features Gettysburg. That race will get underway at 6 p.m. in Carlisle.