COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College men's and women's cross country teams head to the Northeast-10 Conference Championship on Sunday, hosted by Franklin Pierce University at Hopkinton State Fairgrounds in Contoocook, N.H. The 8K men's race begins at 11 a.m. before the women follow with a 6K at 12:15 p.m.
 
Both Saint Michael's squads were ranked in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) East Region polls, with the women standing sixth and the men 10th. The Purple Knight women have finished second twice this season, took ninth at the 26-school Anderson Invitational on Sept. 28, and placed fifth among 19 squads during the Bruce Kirsh Cross Country Cup at the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds on Oct. 11. The men own a pair of top-three performances, were 15th of 30 at the Anderson Invitational, and took seventh of 20 at the Kirsh Cup.
 
The Purple Knights are led by head coach Molly Peters, who is in her 19th year with the women and fourth with the men. A year after the women were third at the NE10 Championship and sixth at the NCAA East Regional Championship, underclass harriers lead the way. Sophomore Fran Peterson (Barron, Wis./Barron) has paced the Purple Knights three times, including winning the 8K Equality Invitational on Sept. 21, while first-year Jersey Miller (Minneapolis, Minn./Saint Louis Park) was her team's top finisher at the Kirsh Cup, placing 10th in a 123-runner field. Sophomores Kayley Bell (Caribou, Maine/Caribou) and Kennedy Holsapple (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme) round out the regular top four, while senior Izzy Quam (Stillwater, Minn./Mounds Park Academy), junior Jocelyn Sommers (Dalton, Mass./Wahconah Regional) and sophomore Meredith Reilly (Ashland, Mass./Ashland) have been regular scorers. Holsapple and Peterson was both NE10 All-Conference qualifiers last year, while Peterson also landed East Regional All-Region honors.
 
Junior Braden Butler (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood) has emerged as the men's top finisher throughout the fall, nabbing a pair of top-three showings for a team that was eighth at the 2023 league championship and 11th at regionals. Senior Pat McGloine (Schuylerville, N.Y./Schuylerville), junior Ken Zou (Hampton, N.H./Winnacunnet), sophomores Adam Bilodeau (Lewiston, Maine/Lewiston) and Andrew Scanio (Lake Placid, N.Y./Lake Placid), and first-years Cooper Brennan (Wilton, N.Y./South Glens Falls) and Andrew Cole (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Sutherland) have joined him as regular scorers. Scanio landed NE10 All-Conference laurels last season.
 
For the first time, the NE10 Championship will be streamed live via NE10 NOW on FloSports. Live results will also be available. Visit SMCAthletics.com to follow along live.