NEWTON, Mass. - Junior Zachary Kirsch and senior Joan Guzman of the Lasell University men's cross country team were the Lasers' first-place finishers five and three times, respectively, during the 2021 season, as the two runners competed in all eight meets.

Kirsch covered the 5-kilometer course in a career-best time of 20:04.4 during a sixth-place finish out of 36 runners at the USJ Blue Jay Invitational in West Hartford, Connecticut, on Sept. 17. During the same meet, Guzman clocked a season-best mark of 21:12.9, finishing four places behind Kirsch in the individual standings.

During the Bruce Kirsh Cross Country Cup in Hopkinton, New Hampshire, on Oct. 2, Kirsch and Guzman recorded season-best times of 31:50.90 and 32:08.61, respectively, on the 8-kilometer course. Junior Franklin Torres also competed for the Lasers in 2021, earning a career-best time of 29:13.00 during the 5-kilometer race at the season-opening Colby-Sawyer Charger Invitational on Sept. 4.

Guzman led the Lasers during the GNAC Championship on Oct. 30 and NCAA Division III East Regional Championship on Nov. 13, crossing the 8-kilometer finish line in times of 32:44 and 33:24, respectively. He placed 33rd overall out of 63 at the conference championship, while Kirsch placed 36th with a time of 33:18.

Director of Athletic Communications Trevor Wenners can be reached at twenners@lasell.edu.

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