GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall men's cross country had its final preparations for the postseason as the Diplomats traveled to Gettysburg for the Aubrey Shenk Invitational. With a number of personal bests during the first 8,000-meter race of the season, the Diplomats placed 14th in the team standings during the large event which attracted 44 teams.

Zach Houff (25:20.6) and Tommy Tapino (25:23.2) both set career best times at the 8K distance to finish 19th and 22nd in the field of 465 finishers. Asher Walton just missed a top 100 placement with a time of 26:26.5 during his first collegiate 8,000-meter race, while George Williams (26:57.5) also came in under the 27-minute mark. Walter Mulroy posted a time of 27:40.0 to finish in the top half of the field as the team's fifth runner.

Four Diplomats finished under 29 minutes, including Addison Neuen (28:02.1) and Harvey Li (28:12.8) as the team's sixth and seventh runners. Aiden Cotter (28:17.6) and Jack Johnson (28:50.3) got in under 29 minutes. Fourteen Diplomats in total raced on the 8K course, with Milo Burns (29:22.5), Chase Bellamy (29:33.8), Cole Smith (29:57.6), Rowan Grant (30:37.8), and Geoffrey Beane (31:27.3) gaining valuable racing experience.

With the regular season now concluded, the Diplomats will begin preparations for the Centennial Conference Championship on Saturday, October 31. Haverford will serve as the host of this year's championship as the men's race is set for a 12 p.m. noon start.