KINGSTON, R.I. - For the first time since 1952, Rhode Island men's cross country secured the title of New England Champions by winning the event on Saturday afternoon in Boston, Mass.

The Rams scored 31 points with four top 10 finishes to beat out second-place Massachusetts (54 points). New Hampshire finished third in the team standings with 109 points. 

Rhody's Ben Fleischer won the 8K race with a time of 24:45.7, pacing the rest of the field by over 30 seconds in a dominant performance. The graduate student was the only competitor that ran a sub-5 minute pace. He was joined on the podium by Garrett Hartline, who crossed the line third with a time of 25:16.8. 

Rhody Scoring Finishes 
1. Ben Fleischer - 24:45.7
3. Garrett Hartline - 25:16.8
6. Nick Martin - 25:39.0
10. Nathan Masi - 26:02.9
12. Tyler Sheedy - 26:05.0
22. Lars Hogne - 26:29.0
32. Antonio Capalbo - 26:42.3

Team Standings
1. Rhode Island - 31
2. Massachusetts - 54
3. New Hampshire - 109
4. Brown - 135
5. Tufts - 152
6. Bentley - 183
7. Holy Cross - 198
8. Merrimack - 215
9. Assumption - 218
10. Stonehill - 225
11. Bryant - 245
12. Quinnipiac - 301
13. Sacred Heart - 334
14. Fairfield - 365
15. Hartford - 474

Up Next
Rhode Island will have a few weeks off before competing in the Atlantic 10 Championship on Saturday, Oct. 28 in Cedarville, Ohio.