PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Keene State College placed five runners among the top 10 to capture the 2026 Little East Conference (LEC) Men’s Cross Country Championship Saturday, led by senior Tyler Bolaske, who won the individual championship and earned LEC Runner of the Year honors.
The Owls totaled 28 points to finish ahead of runner-up UMass Dartmouth, which recorded 66 points. Eastern Connecticut finished third with 80 points, followed by Plymouth State with 97 and Southern Maine with 114. WestConn placed sixth with 179 points, followed by UMass Boston (197), Vermont State Castleton (237) and Rhode Island College (239).
Bolaske completed the 8-kilometer course in 25:12.53, finishing more than 18 seconds ahead of teammate Griffin Urnezis, who placed second in 25:31.29. Andrew Klinedinst finished seventh in 26:01.84, Nicholas Terranova took eighth in 26:03.82 and Harper Borden placed 10th in 26:22.47 to complete Keene State’s scoring lineup.
UMass Dartmouth’s Declan Smith finished third in 25:37.85 to lead the Corsairs. Teammate Maurice King earned LEC Rookie of the Year honors after finishing ninth in 26:10.06, the highest placement among first-year competitors. Joseph Stanton placed 17th in 26:53.61, followed by Jack Barbato in 18th in 27:00.50 and Stephen Maclennan in 19th in 27:04.44.
UMass Boston’s Albert Ferreras finished fourth in 25:45.12, Plymouth State’s Max Goodman placed fifth in 25:47.33 and Southern Maine’s Evan Schneider took sixth in 25:52.31. They joined Bolaske, Urnezis, Smith, Klinedinst and Terranova on the First Team All-LEC.
King and Borden earned Second Team All-LEC recognition alongside Keene State’s Ben Tetlow, who finished 11th in 26:35.89; Southern Maine’s Conner Smith, who placed 12th in 26:42.22; and Eastern Connecticut’s Luke Dalton and Noah Hauswirth, who finished 13th and 14th in 26:43.23 and 26:48.00, respectively.
Eastern Connecticut’s third-place team performance featured four consecutive finishers in places 13 through 16. Following Dalton and Hauswirth were Zach D’Andrea, who finished 15th in 26:51.12, and Brayden Dunn, who placed 16th in 26:52.79.
Voting for LEC Coach of the Year opened Saturday. That award and the LEC Sportsmanship Team will be announced separately.
FINAL TEAM RESULTS
| Place |
Team |
Points |
| 1 |
Keene State |
28 |
| 2 |
UMass Dartmouth |
66 |
| 3 |
Eastern Connecticut |
80 |
| 4 |
Plymouth State |
97 |
| 5 |
Southern Maine |
114 |
| 6 |
WestConn |
179 |
| 7 |
UMass Boston |
197 |
| 8 |
Vermont State Castleton |
237 |
| 9 |
Rhode Island College |
239 |
MAJOR AWARDS
LEC Runner of the Year: Tyler Bolaske, Keene State
LEC Rookie of the Year: Maurice King, UMass Dartmouth
FIRST TEAM ALL-LEC
| Place |
Runner |
School |
Time |
| 1 |
Tyler Bolaske |
Keene State |
25:12.53 |
| 2 |
Griffin Urnezis |
Keene State |
25:31.29 |
| 3 |
Declan Smith |
UMass Dartmouth |
25:37.85 |
| 4 |
Albert Ferreras |
UMass Boston |
25:45.12 |
| 5 |
Max Goodman |
Plymouth State |
25:47.33 |
| 6 |
Evan Schneider |
Southern Maine |
25:52.31 |
| 7 |
Andrew Klinedinst |
Keene State |
26:01.84 |
| 8 |
Nicholas Terranova |
Keene State |
26:03.82 |
SECOND TEAM ALL-LEC
| Place |
Runner |
School |
Time |
| 9 |
Maurice King |
UMass Dartmouth |
26:10.06 |
| 10 |
Harper Borden |
Keene State |
26:22.47 |
| 11 |
Ben Tetlow |
Keene State |
26:35.89 |
| 12 |
Conner Smith |
Southern Maine |
26:42.22 |
| 13 |
Luke Dalton |
Eastern Connecticut |
26:43.23 |
| 14 |
Noah Hauswirth |
Eastern Connecticut |
26:48.00 |