LORETTO, Pa. – (Nov. 2, 2013) Kyle Penney (Newmarket, Ontario, Canada/Sacred Heart Catholic) and Ryan Kennedy (New Kensington, Pa./Kiski Area) led the Saint Francis U men's cross county team on a chilly Saturday morning as they finished third at the Northeast Conference Championships. Robert Morris edged out Saint Francis by three points to take home the second place trophy.

"We knew if was a race for second between us and Robert Morris," said Head Coach Douglas Hoover. "The men ran awesome, we had a nice improvement over were we were at in September and I'm just really proud of these guys."

Penney finished first for the Red Flash and 13th overall earning NEC first team honors, while marking a 28:00 finish. Kennedy posted a season-best second place team finishing 15th overall, while posting a 28:18.

"Penney made all conference after finishing well back in the field last year, he's had a tremendous sophomore year," said Coach Hoover. "He is a guy that is going to set the standard for a while to come and he rose to the occasion today running a very tough race under really tough conditions."

Christopher Fischer (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) marked an 18th overall showing, running the hilly home course in 28:34. A pair of freshmen rounded out Saint Francis top five, as Gordon Phipps III (Oil City, Pa./Oil City) and Herbert Stelly (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport Area) placed 24th and 26th as they both broke the 29-minute barrier. 

Central Connecticut won the NEC Championship for the fifth straight year finishing with 23 points.

SFU returns to action in two weeks at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Championship in Bethlehem, Pa.