Gwynedd Valley, Pa. - (9/1/2022) - The Griffins opened the 2022 season at home with the Gwynedd Mercy University 5K Invitational and honored their senior class; Alicia Bennett (Philadelphia, Pa.), Kristen Dougher (Saylorsburg, Pa.), Keely Greene (Philadelphia, Pa.), Thomas Balla (Trevose, Pa.) and Kevin Johnston (Hatboro, Pa.), at the beginning of their collegiate swan song. Balla (4th, 18:41.8) and Dougher (4th, 24:46.5) respectively led the Griffins to fourth (4th of 5, 74 points) and first-place (1st of 3, 32 points) finishes in the men's and women's races with a pair of fourth-place runs. Chestnut Hill College won the men's event with 34 points, but Neumann University supplied the first-place finisher in sophomore Drew Konieczny (Havertown, Pa.) (17:39.5). Gwynedd Mercy University scored three of the Top-10 finishers in the women's race as Greene (6th, 24:58.3) and Bennett (25:11.0) were also among the first ten across the finish line.

Gwynedd Mercy University's first-place finish was rounded out by a 14th-place (28:09.8) effort from sophomore Hailey Bloom (Margate City, N.J.), a 20th-place (33:50.2) run from junior Shylynn Cordero (Allentown, Pa.), and a 24th-place (41:59.0) performance from freshman Mikayla Brennan (Bensalem, Pa.).

Behind Balla, Gwynedd Mercy University also placed junior Karam Aldarwich (Dresher, Pa.) (16th, 20:52.7), freshman Sebastian DeSimone (West Orange, N.J.), Johnston (20th, 21:42.7), junior Israel Atonal'Varela (Warminster, Pa.) (25th, 24:34.8), and junior Melvin Mathew (North Wales, Pa.) (24:57.9).

Gwynedd Mercy University runs next on Friday, September 9, when they visit Stockton University for the Osprey Memorial Invitational.