Bethlehem, Pa. – The UMBC men's cross country team placed 18^th out of 32 teams at the highly competitive 2026 Paul Short Invitational, hosted by Lehigh University on Friday morning. The meet featured more than 300 athletes from across the region.

Junior Justin Banks led the Retrievers by covering the 8K course in 25:17.5, finishing 70^th out of 302 competitors. Banks steadily moved up throughout the race and surged ahead in the final mile to gain an impressive ten places.

Classmate Daniel Danilovitz was close behind, crossing the line in 91st place with a time of 25:28.8. Senior John Saltysiak finished just seconds later in 96th place with a time of 25:30.8, and both runners contributed valuable points for the team.

Junior Kieran Mischke made a significant late-race push, advancing 15 spots over the final mile to secure 107^th place in 25:37.4. Sophomore Michael Heinemann turned in a solid performance, clocking 26:04.7 to finish 166th overall.

Sophomore Kieran White (26:26.8, 212th) and freshman William Carranza (26:36.0, 222nd) rounded out the team's scoring.

Wingate University claimed the team title, showcasing impressive depth with seven runners finishing inside the top 36.

UMBC will compete at the University of Virginia Invitational on Friday, October 16.