Bucknell Men’s and Women’s Cross Country competed at the Jasper Invitational, hosted by Manhattan College, in Montgomery, NY. The men took home the team title with 32 points while the women placed second, just behind Quinnipiac, scoring 43 points.

The Bison took on a competitive field, which included teams such as Fordham, Siena and NYU. These are all squads the Bison will see later this fall at both IC4A/ECAC Championships and Mid-Atlantic Region Championships.

Henry Didden ’26 led the way for the Orange and Blue, blazing through 8,000 meters in 24:40.80 to claim second place. Didden’s performance earned the senior captain Patriot League Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week honors, making him the first male Bison to receive the award since Samuel Whittaker ’23 all the way back in September 2022. The other senior captain, Trent Dinant ’26, also had a standout performance, crossing the line in fourth place, running 24:57.80. Behind those two were David Carillo ’28, Ethan Pratt-Perez ’28 and Jayson Harmer ’26, who placed seventh, eighth and 11th, respectively, to round out the scoring. Cooper Hollinger ’29 did not make the top five for the Orange and Blue, but his 14th place finish was the highest among freshmen and earned him Patriot League Men’s Cross Country Rookie of the Week. Hollinger is the first Bison to receive the award since Dinant won it three years ago in September 2022.

For the women, it was again Shaelan McNally ’28 for the Bison who, for the second meet in a row, claimed the individual title, running 6,000 meters in 20:08.80. Her dominant performance, which was 18 seconds faster than second place, earned her Patriot League Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week honors for the second time this season. You would have to go all the way back to 2018 to find when this feat was previously replicated. Colleen Buckley ’19 was the last Bison to win the award twice in a single season, and she went on to take the Patriot League individual title that year. Behind McNally, Caryn Rippey ’26 and Katie Moncavage ’28 both finished inside the top ten, placing fifth and ninth, respectively. Kailey Granger ’27 and Gentry Bowie ’29 rounded out the rest of the scoring for the Orange and Blue with 14th and 17th place finishes.

The Bison continue their season on Saturday, Sept. 27, where they will take on the Youngstown State Invitational in Ohio.