Men's Cross Country | 10/9/2026 2:23:00 PM

Meet #3: Highlander Invitational
Date: Saturday, Oct. 10 | Houghton, N.Y. | Field of Dreams 
Start Times: Men's 8K - 11 AM | Women's 6K - 11:45 AM
Live Timing
 

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NEXT MEET UP
The Daemen University men's and women's cross country teams return to Houghton, N.Y. this weekend to race in the annual Highlander Invitational hosted by Houghton University. The men's 8K will kick off the day at 11 AM followed by the women's 6K race at 11:45 AM. 

LOOKING BACK
The Wildcats fared well at the 2026 Harry F. Anderson Invitational on Sept. 26, with the men placing ninth out of 18 teams and the women finishing 10th out of 18 in the prestigious and competitive meet hosted by Roberts Wesleyan University. 

In the men's 8K, Daemen finished ninth with a team score of 244 on the day. Host Roberts Wesleyan won their home race with a team score of 43 after placing all five scorers in the top 15. Ethan Keating (Wooster, Ohio) finished fifth out of 244 runners with a PR time of 25:31.0, 25 seconds faster than his previous 8K PR of 25:56.2 set at the 2025 Highlander Invitational. The senior was the lone Wildcat to place in the top 30 in the race, and it marked the second consecutive top-10 finish for the senior this season, who placed third in Daemen's season opening Doug Watts Open on Sept. 5. Fellow senior CJ Johnson (Baltimore, Md.) was the second Wildcat runner to cross the finish line, placing 38th overall with a time of 26:39.5. Sophomore Simon Evans (Galway, N.Y.) finished third on the team and 26th overall at 26:47.6. Running his first career 8K, freshman Ryan Weller (Farmington, N.Y.) placed 67th overall and fourth on the team, finishing with a time of 27:10.0. Sophomore Andre Kannisto (Boston, N.Y.) rounded out the Wildcat scorers with a time of 29:05.8 to place 164th. 

In the women's 5K, all five Daemen runners that participated set personal bests as the Wildcats placed 10th with a team score of 282. After placing three runners in the top five, Edinboro won the meet with a team score of 43. Hosts Roberts Wesleyan (69 points) placed second, while Cortland State (72 points), who placed the meet's top runners and two more in the top 10, finished third. Junior Kylie Piekarski (Lancaster, N.Y.) paced the Wildcats and finished 33rd out of 173 runners with a PR time of 19:37.5, shaving nearly a minute off her previous best time (20:26.6) set at the 2024 ECC Championships. Junior Lia Brasacchio (Victor, N.Y.) crossed the finish line three seconds later for a PR time of 19:40.1 to place 37th, just one millisecond faster than her 5K PR (9:40.2) set at the 2025 Harry F. Anderson Invitational. Freshman Julie Cruz (Williamsville, N.Y.) set a PR in her second straight meet, placing 66th overall with a time of 20:18.4, almost one minute faster than her 5K best (21:19.3) set at the Doug Watts Open on Sept. 5. Sophomore Raegan Giardini (West Clarksville, N.Y.) placed 98th with a PR time of 20:54.6, over a minute faster than her previous best (22:03.7) set at the 2025 ECC Championships. Racing in just her second meet, graduate student Alexis Nguyen (Grand Island, N.Y.) finished 108th with a time of 21:14.0, nearly a minute faster than her former best (22:36.7) set at the Sept. 5 Doug Watts Open. 

MEN'S LINEUP

RUNNER	HARRY F. ANDERSON (FINISHING PLACE)	LAST SEASON @ HIGHLANDER (FINISHING PLACE)	PERSONAL BEST 8K TIME (DATE)
Simon Evans	26:47.6 (36/244)	26:07.9 (28/214)	26:07.9 (10/11/25)
Mike Gregoire	29:34.6 (185/244)*	N/A	29:34.6 (9/26/26)
CJ Johnson	26:39.5 (38/244)	25:25.0 (14/214)	25:21.1 (9/27/25)
Andre Kannisto	29:05.8 (164/244)*	N/A	29:08.5 (10/11/25)
Ethan Keating	25:31.0 (5/244)*	25:56.2 (22/214)	25:31.0 (9/26/26)
Brendan Smukall	30:40.7 (207/244)	N/A	29:05.8 (9/26/26)
Brad Tobin	29:16.9 (172/244)	28:53.9 (139/214)	28:53.9 (10/11/25)
Ryan Weller	27:10.0 (67/244)*	N/A	27:10.0 (9/26/26)

* = PR time

WOMEN'S LINEUP

RUNNER	HARRY F. ANDERSON (FINISHING PLACE)	LAST SEASON @ HIGHLANDER (FINISHING PLACE)	PERSONAL BEST 6K TIME (DATE)
Lia Brasacchio	19:40.1 (37/137)*	23:47.8 (34/188)	23:47.8 (10/11/25)
Julie Cruz	20:18.4 (66/137)*	N/A	N/A
Raegan Giardini	20:54.6 (98/137)*	N/A	25:55.81 (11/8/26)
Teagan Jones	N/A	N/A	N/A
Alexis Nguyen	21:14.0 (108/137)*	N/A	N/A
Kylie Piekarski	19:37.5 (33/173)*	24:13.2 (54/188)	24:13.2 (10/11/25)

* = PR time

UP NEXT
The Wildcats are back in action next week, staying in Buffalo as they run in the annual Canisius Alumni Classic at Delaware Park on Saturday, Oct. 17.