DARTMOUTH, Mass. — Sophomore Colton Sallum finished sixth overall to lead Southern Connecticut State University to a fourth-place team finish Saturday at the UMass Dartmouth cross country course.
The Owls totaled 159 points to place fourth in a 32-team field. Sallum covered the course in 24 minutes, 39.33 seconds to earn six team points with his sixth-place finish. It was the top finish of his collegiate career and the best individual finish for the Owls this season. Southern Connecticut placed five runners inside the top 50 to secure its top-five team result against one of the largest fields in the region this fall.
Junior John Glidden was the Owls' No. 2 finisher, placing 29th overall in 25:32.64. Freshman Hayden Burke followed in 38th place at 25:43.61, with classmate Breckin Burke close behind in 47th at 25:53.36. Freshman Dominic Lombardo rounded out the scoring five for SCSU, placing 49th in 25:55.31. The Owls' freshman class played a major role in the result, with four first-year runners in the team's top seven. Senior Dominic Tartarelli finished just outside the scoring positions, placing 52nd in 25:56.74. Senior Ryan Gagne placed 71st in 26:19.60. Freshman Jaxson Koczur finished 104th in 26:52.55, followed by fellow freshman Santiago Rodriguez in 112th in 26:58.99. Junior Joseph Lamburn placed 142nd in 27:43.24 and freshman Landon Pelletier placed 145th in 27:46.29.
The fourth-place finish marks a strong early-season showing for the Owls against a deep regional field that featured 32 scoring teams and more than 230 finishers. Southern Connecticut's pack time — the spread between its first and fifth runners — was 1 minute, 15.98 seconds, showing improved depth and pack running from a year ago.
Sallum's sixth-place finish led the way, but the Owls' depth was the difference. With four freshmen contributing in the top seven, Southern Connecticut showed its youth and potential moving forward in the championship season.
The Owls, who finished with 159 points, were among the top Division II programs in the field and finished ahead of numerous Northeast-10 Conference opponents. The result builds on a strong start to the season for Southern Connecticut, which has emphasized pack running and development of its freshman class.
