Hooper Leads Men's XC to Fifth at AE Championship

Friday, October 31

Contoocook, N.H.

11 AM

University of New Hampshire

America East Championship

Zachary Hooper raced to team-best 20th-place finish Friday in Hopkinton, N.H.

Photo by: Alex Miller

10/31/2025 2:36:00 PM | Men's Cross Country

Senior placed 20th in men’s 8K at Hopkinton State Fairgrounds

HOPKINTON, N.H. – Senior Zachary Hooper (Concord, N.H.) led the UNH men's cross country team with Friday morning's 20^th-place result in the men's 8K, and the Wildcats totaled 158 points to finish fifth at the 2025 America East Cross Country Championships, hosted by UMass Lowell at the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds. Hooper clocked in at 25 minutes, 9.99 seconds for 20 points.

The host River Hawks won the men's conference championship with 24 points, followed by runner-up Binghamton (38 points), UMBC (85), Maine (112) and the Wildcats. Vermont placed sixth (163), with NJIT (185), Bryant (195) and UAlbany (271) placing 7-9.

Senior John Murphy (Deerfield, N.H.) crossed the finish line in 25:21.83 for 24^th place (24 points), and senior Joshua Lesniak (Durham, Conn.) registered a 34^th-place time of 25:33.44 for 34 points. UNH's complete list of scoring runners is below.

America East Cross Country Championships
Friday, October 31, 2025 • Men's 8K
Hopkinton State Fairgrounds • Hopkinton, N.H.
Results (PDF)

Men's 8K Final Team Scores
1. UMass Lowell – 24
2. Binghamton - 38
3. UMBC - 85
4. Maine - 112
5. UNH - 158
6. Vermont – 163
7. NJIT – 185
8. Bryant – 195
9. UAlbany – 271

UNH Men's 8K Point Scorers

Name	Place	Points	Time
Zachary Hooper	20th	20	25:09.99
John Murphy	24th	24	25:21.83
Joshua Lesniak	34th	34	25:33.22
Gavin Malark	41st	38	25:47.52
Christian Cerullo	45th	42	25:52.53

NEXT UP – NCAA NORTHEAST REGIONALS, NOV. 14 • HOPKINTON, N.H.
•The Hopkinton State Fairgrounds will be the site for the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships on Friday, Nov. 14.

CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK & FIELD TEAM STORE OPEN THROUGH NOV. 3
•Fans and supporters of the UNH cross country and track & field programs can shop at the limited-time Nike/BSN Team Store through Nov. 3. A portion of proceeds from all sales directly benefits the program. SHOP HERE.

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