WESTFIELD, Mass. (October 11, 2025) – The Golden Bears' cross country teams ran in the James Earley Invitational in Westfield, Massachusetts, on Saturday. The Men's 8k race saw Joshua Farrell lead the team, and both Lucas Franco and Pablo Tapion would pick up season-best times. The women's team ran the 5k race and placed sixth, with their top-five runners all placing within a minute of each other, and Olivia Kay picking up the twelfth fastest 5k time in women's program history.
Place:
Women's Team: 6th/13
Men's Team: 7th/18
How it Happened:
Men's 8k Race:
- The men's 8k race was run first on Saturday.
- Joshua Farrell led the Golden Bears on the course at Westfield State University. Farrell ran a 27:33.58 to grab 28th place overall in the race.
- Lucas Franco placed second for WNE, with another season-best time of 27:52.06. Franco finished in 35th place.
- Pablo Tapion also picked up a season-best time in the 8k race. Tapion ended with a time of 28:26.66, placing 44th.
- Gianni Santagata would place fourth for WNE in the James Earley Invitational. Santagata ran a time of 29:04.12.
- John Bieszczad was the fifth runner for the Golden Bears with a final time of 29:12.56.
- The Golden Bears ended the race with 210 points, placing the team in seventh out of eighteen scoring teams.
Women's 5k Race:
- The women's 5k race was next at the James Earley Invitational. The top-five women runners from WNE all finished within a minute.
- Olivia Kay led the Golden Bears with a final time of 20:04.35. That was a career-best time for Kay and the twelfth-fastest 5k time in program history. Kay finished the race in 25th place.
- Nina Garfalo followed Kay, with a WNE career-best time of 20:27.19. Garofalo finished 34th in the race.
- Lia Pouliot then had a season-best time of 20:39.47 to place 41st in the 5k race.
- Fallon Lynch would cross the finish line in 42nd place, with a season-best time of 20:40.13.
- Caitlin Reilly then placed fifth for WNE, with a 47th place finish, and a season-best time of 20:47.47.
- WNE's women's team placed sixth out of thirteen scoring teams, with 175 total points.
Up Next on the Schedule:
- The Golden Bears are on their home course next Saturday, October 18, 2025. They will host their annual WNE Invitational starting at 10:00 AM on Saturday.
