AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University cross country teams took to their home course for the first time this season Saturday morning, as AMU hosted the Ave Maria Invitational/Sun Conference Preview at North Park. Both teams left North Park with hardware, as the Gyrene men claimed the team championship and the AMU women emerged with the runner-up plaque.

Ave Maria placed three runners within the top ten to claim the team title on the men's side. Christopher Hermann was the top finisher, placing sixth with a time of 27:27.6. Samuel Paga was less than seven seconds behind in seventh place, while Michael Long clocked in at 27:47.6 to place tenth. Adam Paga was the fourth scoring Gyrene at 28:18.20, and John Halvorsen rounded out Ave Maria's victorious team score with a time of 28:36.90, good for 15th.

The top three teams in the men's race were decided by eight points, with AMU's strength at the fourth and fifth spots proving to be the difference. The Gyrenes concluded the morning with 51 team points, edging out Lynn University (56) and Nova Southeastern (59). The Fighting Knights of Lynn did not leave Ave Maria empty-handed, as Lynn's David Cueje won the individual title by less than four seconds over Barry's David Bellefleur.

On the women's side, the Gyrenes edged out a pair of NCAA Division II opponents for the runner-up finish on their home course. Lily Burke was the top Gyrene, running the 6k course in 24:47.40. Sofia Torres also broke the 25-minute mark with a time of 24:56.20, and Carol Long was third among Gyrenes at 25:10.50. The AMU team score was concluded by efforts from Felicity Foxhoven (25:26.00) and Madison Thomas (25:55.90). 

Nova Southeastern ran away with the team title, placing all five scoring runners inside the top ten. The effort was led by Leena Saidi, who was more than 90 seconds faster than the rest of the field, winning the individual title with a time of 22:02.50. The battle for second came down to the wire, with AMU sneaking past Lynn University by four points and Barry University by five.

After hosting three Sunshine State Conference teams at North Park, the Gyrenes will return the favor on Friday. AMU will run at the Sunshine State Conference Preview, hosted by Florida Southern College at Holloway Park in Lakeland. It will be AMU's final meet within the state of Florida before the return to North Park for The Sun Conference Championships November 4. The running in Lakeland is slated to start at 5:00 p.m.