SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Norwich University men's cross country team wrapped up its 2026 regular season with a fifth-place performance in a 21-team field at the Golden Bear Invitational on Saturday morning, hosted by Western New England University.
Racing over eight kilometers in its final competition before the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships, Norwich totaled 186 points and placed five scorers inside the top 60 overall. The Cadets finished just eight points behind fourth-place Clark University and continued to show the depth that has developed throughout the fall.
Junior Leo Circosta (Greensboro, Vt.) once again paced Norwich, finishing sixth overall in 27:08.81.
Circosta's performance marked his fifth consecutive meet as the Cadets' top finisher and his strongest placement of the regular season. The junior has anchored the Norwich lineup throughout the fall and will enter the conference championship riding another top-10 result.
Senior Landon Pandolph (Peru, N.Y.) followed as Norwich's second finisher, taking 29th overall in 28:38.36.
Sophomore Zachary Chastain (Reisterstown, Md.) continued his steady progression through the season, crossing 50th overall in 29:34.24.
Senior Kyle Duffek (Chandler, Ariz.) was next across for Norwich in 58th at 29:51.41, while freshman Levi Jones (South Londonderry, Vt.) completed the Cadets' scoring five immediately behind in 59th with a 29:52.51 performance.
Only 18.27 seconds separated Chastain, Duffek, and Jones across Norwich's third through fifth scoring positions.
Junior Jayquan Boswell (Dallas, Texas) followed in 71st overall in 30:14.44, while freshman Paulo Coello (San Pedro Sula, Honduras) rounded out Norwich's top seven in 100th at 31:10.38.
"The women's and men's teams competed well today both placing fifth overall out of twenty-some teams," said Head Coach Michael McGrane. "Today was a final tune-up race before the GNAC XC Championships in just two weeks. The teams have developed well with a pair of consistent top performers by Ava and Leo followed by good depth and pack running between our 2nd through 7th runners. We're looking better each week and looking forward to the chance to place high at the GNAC's."
Plymouth State claimed the team championship with 40 points, with Worcester State University following in second at 93. Host Western New England took third with 116, Clark University finished fourth with 178, and Norwich followed only eight points behind in fifth, placing fifth out of 21 scoring teams with 186 points.
The top-five showing in the 21-team field also placed the Cadets comfortably ahead of GNAC foe Emmanuel College (Mass.), which finished eighth with 254 points.
MEN'S LEADERS:
Norwich will now have two weeks to prepare for the 2026 GNAC Championships, hosted by Colby-Sawyer College at the Morris Trail on Sunday, Nov. 1. The men's eight-kilometer championship race is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
