Men's Cross Country 9/6/2025 5:48:00 PM

Men’s Cross Country Opens Title Defense with Strong Showing at the Beaver Invitational

FARMINGTON, Maine – In the first cross country race held on the University of Maine at Farmington campus in more than 15 years, the reigning North Atlantic Conference (NAC) champion Beavers opened their 2025 season in dominant fashion, cruising to victory over the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Saturday morning.

Beaver Runners

UMF was led by junior standout Andrew LaFlamme (Nashua, N.H.), who topped the 21-runner field with a time of 16:22.5, averaging 5:16 per mile. LaFlamme crossed the line 20 seconds ahead of the runner-up, teammate and reigning two-time NAC Runner of the Year Justin Castaldo '25.

The Beavers swept six of the top seven spots to secure the season-opening win. Following Castaldo's second-place finish, Alexander Gagnon (Goffstown, N.H.), Samuel Perkins (Jay, Maine), James Riley (Shrewsbury, Mass.), Ethan Linscott (Lakeville, Maine), and Hans Bakke (York, Maine) claimed third through seventh, respectively.

Gagnon finished in 16:48.3 (5:24 pace).
Perkins was close behind in 16:59.5 (5:28 pace).
Riley clocked 17:17.6 (5:34 pace).
Linscott broke the 18-minute barrier with a time of 17:34.1 (5:39 pace).
Bakke, in his collegiate debut, finished in 18:42.6.

For UMPI, Westley Dyer and Isiah Mitchell paced the Owls, finishing just three seconds apart in eighth and ninth place. Dyer crossed in 19:30.9, while Mitchell finished in 19:33.9.

Up Next

The Beavers will have next weekend off before competing at the Maine State Championship, hosted by Bowdoin College on Saturday, September 20.

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Players Mentioned

Justin Castaldo: 6' 0"; Senior

Alexander Gagnon: Sophomore

Andrew LaFlamme: Junior

Ethan Linscott: Junior

Samuel Perkins: Sophomore

James Riley: Senior

Hans Bakke: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Justin Castaldo
: 6' 0"; Senior

Alexander Gagnon
: Sophomore

Andrew LaFlamme
: Junior

Ethan Linscott
: Junior

Samuel Perkins
: Sophomore

James Riley
: Senior

Hans Bakke
: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned

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