PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The RMU cross country teams opened the 2026 season Friday morning at the Panther Opener at Schenley Park, with the women's team finishing in second and the men finishing in third. 

The RMU women totaled 38 points to finish second among the four competing teams, while the Colonials' men posted 73 points to place third.

For the women, senior Samantha Hennen led the way for the Colonials, placing second overall with a time of 17:50.0. Senior Julia Dill followed closely behind in third at 17:53.1, giving RMU two of the top three individual finishers.

Junior Sara Jury crossed the finish line sixth overall in 18:07.2, while junior Kaylee Foringer finished 13th in 18:22.9. Senior Alyssa Croco rounded out RMU's top-15 finishers, placing 14th in 18:27.7.

Freshman Megan Puleio finished 20th overall in 19:19.6, followed by senior Ava Deming in 27th at 19:39.0. Junior Angelique Mariana completed the RMU lineup in 42nd with a time of 21:20.5.

Pittsburgh won the women's team competition with 30 points, followed by RMU with 38, Carnegie Mellon with 61, and Mount Union with 108.

On the men's side, senior Nathan Wentling paced the Colonials with a 10th-place finish, completing the course in 15:16.4.

Senior Sam Gutzwiller finished 11th at 15:21.8, while sophomore Hayden Gaunt placed 17th in 15:39.9. Senior Roman Galioto crossed in 20th at 15:50.3, while junior Jacob Bayes finished in 23rd with a time of 15:56.3.

Junior Jimmie Couch finished 25th overall in 16:05.5, while sophomore Max Smith posted a time of 16:10.6 to finish 28th. Sophomore Caden Riethmiller finished in  31st at 16:26.9, while Ryan Ewing (36th), Enzo Jiancristoforo (40th) and Ethan Thomas (47th) rounded out the lineup for the men. 

Pittsburgh claimed the men's team title with 15 points, followed by Carnegie Mellon with 51, RMU with 73, and Mount Union with 110.

The Colonials return to action on Sept. 11 as the Colonials return home to host the RMU Colonial Invitational.