WESTFIELD, Mass. –   Westfield State's John Nekitopoulos was the first owl to cross the finish line as Westfield State men's cross country wrapped up the 2022 season by placing 17^th at the NCAA Mideast Region Championship meet hosted by St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y.

Nekitoupoulos tripped the 8.05 k circuit in 87^th place overall with a time of 28:47.9

Will Buckley was next in 95^th place in 29:07.9, followed by senior Mike Maher in 104^th in 29:07.4.

23 complete teams and 165 athletes competed in the meet.  The Owls ranked third among public institutions finishing closely behind Eastern Connecticut (14^th) and SUNY-Plattsburgh (15^th).

Williams College won the team race with five runners in the top 13, led by meet winner Elias Lindgren in 25:03.9.