NEWARK, N.J.- The Hunter College men's cross country team placed third overall at the NJIT Invitational on Saturday.

The Hawks were led by senior standout Mateo Penafiel, who crossed the tape in a personal-best and conference-best time of 27:03.9 in the men's 8k race, placing 15th in a field of 127 total runners. Not far behind was Brian Arias, who placed 21st with his own personal record of 27:24.5, for the third fastest time in the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC).

Jack Treacher was the Hawks' next-best finisher with a time of 29:38.2, followed by Robert Liang Xu (31:12.2), and Harrison Abarca (33:31.4). Also racing for the Purple and Gold was Paul Patino, who clocked in at 36:26.1, and Alexander Shearman with a time of 37:15.1.

Hunter returns to the course on Oct. 18 at the St. Joseph's Invitational.