LAKELAND, Fla.- The Ave Maria University cross country teams got the Alan Webb era underway Saturday morning, as the Gyrenes opened the 2022 season at the Fire Short Course Invitational. The event was a unique one on the AMU schedule, as the men ran a 5k race and the women competed on a 3k course. The Gyrenes placed second in both events behind host school Southeastern, who was also responsible for both individual champions.

On the men's side, the Gyrenes were the only school to place three runners in the top six. Adam Paga led the pack for AMU, finishing in third overall by running the 5k course in 16:59.80, the third fastest 5k time in school history. Joseph Perreault followed less than six seconds after Paga, taking fourth overall. Adam's younger brother Samuel Paga completed the lead pack of Gyrenes, as the freshman placed sixth overall with a 17:15.20 time on the Southeastern course.

A returner and a newcomer rounded out Ave Maria's scoring efforts in the season-opening race. Christopher Hermann placed 13th, crossing the finish line in 17:45.20 to finish as Ave Maria's fourth scorer. The scoring was completed by freshman John Halvorsen, who was the last of 18 runners to finish the course in under 18 minutes, clocking in at 17:56.40.

The women's team placed two runners in the top five, led by AMU's returning Sun Conference Newcomer of the Year. Theresa Long was second across the finish line, running the 3k course in 11:06.80. The second AMU finisher was also their top freshman in the race. Felicity Foxhoven joined Long as the only runners in the top nine from a school other than Southeastern, as the Minnesota native crossed the finish line at 11:46.40.

Lily Burke was AMU's number three finisher and placed 12th overall at 12:09.7, while fellow sophomore Lillian Brodeur followed with a 16th place finish and a time of 12:40.0. Another freshman wrapped up Ave Maria's scoring total, as Gabrielle Sjostedt recorded a top-20 finish in her first collegiate race with a time of 12:50.10.

Ave Maria will run in three of the first four weekends of September, which will comprise the first half of the Gyrene schedule. AMU will take next weekend off before previewing the national championship course in Tallahassee on September 16. The Gyrenes will run in the Pre-NAIA Nationals in the capital city of Florida, with the opening gun scheduled to go off at 8 a.m. on that Friday morning.