GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. – The Lasell College men's and women's cross country seasons got underway Friday with the Suffolk Dual Meet Invitational held at the Great Barrington Fairgrounds. The Laser women bested both Suffolk University and Newbury College, while the Laser men were defeated by both of the other schools.

Lasell defeated Newbury in the women's dual meet scoring, 17-42, and knocked off Suffolk because the Rams only had three runners. The Lasers were edged by Newbury, 25-30, in the men's dual meet scoring, and fell to Suffolk, 16-47.

Lasell had three of the top five finishers in the women's 3K race, as freshman Emma Murray (Wethersfield, Conn.) was third in a time of 13:07, followed by sophomore Amanda Hawkes (Billerica, Mass.) in fourth in 13:09 and senior Ashlee DeBarros (Dorchester, Mass.) in fifth in 13:27.  Freshmen Grace West (Kennebunk, Maine) and Emma Vierling (Monmouth, Maine) were the next Lasers across the finish line, placing seventh and eighth, respectively, in 13:45 and 14:04.

Senior Ryan Dalaba (North Granville, N.Y.) was the top Laser finisher in the men's 5K race, placing fifth in a time of 18:32. Junior Matt Holden (Mehuen, Mass.) was 13th in 21:11, followed by senior Ben Lane (Rutland, Vt.), 15th in 23:35; junior Kyle Mullen (West Newbury, Mass.), 16th in 24:10; and junior Mark Payton (Barrington, R.I.), 18th in 26:17.

The Lasers squad will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 8, at the University of New England Invitational in Biddeford, Maine. 

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