HOPKINTON, N.H. - The New England College men's and women's cross-country teams competed in the Hopkinton Cross Country Festival on Friday afternoon.  The men ran eight kilometers, while the women completed five kilometers. 

For the men's 8K, freshman Austin Patenaude (Henniker, N.H.) led the way for the Pilgrims, as he clocked in at 33:31.6.  Freshman Alex O'Halloran (Dover, N.H.) eclipsed his time from the Codfish Bowl by almost a minute to reset his personal record at 34:45.4.  Junior Ryan Weidman (Weare, N.H.) finished the 8K at 40:51.7. 

On the women's side, senior Amanda Ducharme (Bedford, N.H.) was the first of the Pilgrims to finish the 5K, with a time of 24:22.5.  Junior Sophia Lapointe (Salem, N.H.) surpassed her previous best time by over 30 seconds, completing the race at a time of 24:54.1, while sophomore Skylar Simpson (Prospect, Conn.) clocked in at 27:27.8.  Senior Cheryl Dolson (Webster, N.H.) ran in her first collegiate meet and finished in 32:12.6. 

The men and women return to Hopkinton Fairgrounds on October 22nd for their regular season finale, hosted by Southern New Hampshire University. The event will kick off at 4:30 PM for the women, while the men leave the starting line at 5. 

For continuing coverage of New England College Athletics, visit athletics.nec.edu and follow the Pilgrims on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.