HOPKINTON, N.H. - Three Saint Michael's College men's and women's cross country student-athletes earned all-region accolades on Saturday during the NCAA East Regional Championship at Hopkinton State Fairgrounds, where the men set a school record by placing fourth during the regional meet.
 
Thanks to their top-25 finishes, senior Braden Butler (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood), junior Andrew Scanio (Lake Placid, N.Y./Lake Placid) and sophomore Jersey Miller (Minneapolis, Minn./Saint Louis Park) all claimed U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) East Regional All-Region honors. Miller was recognized for the second straight year.
 
TEAM RESULTS

• The men captured fourth place among 18 schools with 141 points, breaking school records for both placement (6th, 2003) and points (184, 2003) at a regional championship. Butler and Scanio netted all-region accolades after only three Purple Knight men had ever previously garnered the honor, and never at the same meet.
• The Purple and Gold men were fourth and the women stood sixth in the latest USTFCCCA East Region polls.
• The top four in the regional poll held in the final men's results, as Saint Michael's finished 23 points behind third-place Franklin Pierce University, the last of three NCAA Championship qualifiers. The Purple Knights trimmed fifth-place Jefferson University by three points (144).
• The women found themselves 10th among 20 squads with 230 points, a result impacted by junior Fran Peterson (Barron, Wis./Barron) being unable to complete her race after occupying fifth place by the 4K checkpoint. At the time, she was on track to earn a qualification to the NCAA Championship, and her team was also in fifth place, just 17 points short of Daemen University in fourth place.
• With Miller claiming an all-region nod, the Purple Knight women have had at least one all-region runner at four straight championships. In the program's history, she joined only Peterson in claiming multiple career USTFCCCA All-Region accolades.
• Southern Connecticut State University won both the men's (34) and women's (44) championships.

MEN'S LEADERS

• Scanio
  • 10th of 112 finishers in 10K, 32:32.97 (PR)
  • 3rd career regional championship
  • 1st career USTFCCCA East Regional All-Region award
  • Only SMC Athletic Hall of Famer Drew Best '04, who placed ninth in 2003, ever finished higher at a regional championship in program history
• Butler
  • 13th, 32:38.92 (PR)
  • 4th career regional championship
  • 1st career USTFCCCA East Regional All-Region award
• First-year Josh Pelletier (North Andover, Mass./North Andover)
  • 38th, 33:55.07 (PR)
  • 1st college 10K
• Junior Adam Bilodeau (Lewiston, Maine/Lewiston)
  • 40th, 33:57.28 (PR)
  • 3rd career regional championship
• First-year Pierce Coughlin (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee)
  • 46th, 34:12.56 (PR)
  • 1st college 10K
• Sophomore Cooper Brennan (Wilton, N.Y./South Glens Falls)
  • 50th, 34:22.26 (PR)
  • 1st college 10K
• Sophomore Taggart Schrader (East Montpelier, Vt./U-32)
  • 73rd, 35:33.30 (PR)
  • 1st college 10K

WOMEN'S LEADERS

• Miller
  • 9th of 116 finishers in 6K, 22:33.84 (PR)
  • 2nd career regional championship
  • 2nd career USTFCCCA East Regional All-Region award
• Junior Meredith Reilly (Ashland, Mass./Ashland)
  • 35th, 24:12.35 (PR)
  • 3rd career regional championship
• Sophomore Jordan Munro (Holliston, Mass./Holliston)
  • 53rd, 25:00.32 (PR)
  • 2nd career regional championship
• Senior Jocelyn Sommers (Dalton, Mass./Wahconah Regional)
  • 69th, 25:50.71 (PR)
  • 2nd career regional championship
• Junior Rylee Burnham (Hartland, Vt./Hartford)
  • 84th, 26:36.86
  • 1st career regional championship
• Junior Kayley Bell (Caribou, Maine/Caribou)
  • 93rd, 27:27.70
  • 3rd career regional championship