HOPKINTON, N.H.—Sophomore Nick Yacoub (Sharon, Mass.) came in fourth overall and first among Division III runners and four others recorded career-best times to help lead the Babson College men's cross country squad to a first-place finish in the Hopkinton XC Festival at the Hopkinton Fairgrounds on Friday afternoon. 

The Beavers, who had five harriers finish among the top 20, totaled 39 points to outpace Division I Albany (61) and Division II Franklin Pierce (63). Colby (113) and Division II Adelphi (123) rounded out the top five. 

Yacoub posted a time of 25:35.69 on the 8k course to finish behind only Franklin Pierce graduate Ryan Outerbridge and Ethan Mashtare and Patrick Hall of UMass Lowell. First-year Oliver Jones (Whanganui, New Zealand) came in ninth with a season-best time of 25:56 and junior Brian Gall (Norwalk, Conn.) was two seconds behind him in 12th place with a new personal-best time of 25:58. 

Junior John Hanscom (Hadley, Mass.) crossed the finish line in 25:59 to take 14th place, first-year Arthur Boulot (Geneva, Switzerland) was 20th in a season-best time of 26:14 and sophomore Daniel Garcia (Miami, Fla.) recorded a career-best time of 26:43, which was good for 30th position. First-year Connor Andrews (Wrightsville Beach, N.C.) ran the course in 26:49 to place 31st, while junior Ethan Jina (Carlisle, Mass.) came in 44th with a time of 27:21 in his season debut. 

Fellow junior Almond Nickerson IV (Darien, Conn.) also competed in his first race of the year and came in 50th with a time of 27:35. Classmate Jack Gramer (Tyngsborough, Mass.) posted a time of 29:33 to finish 82nd. 

Babson returns to action next Saturday when it travels to Waterford, Conn., for the Connecticut College Invitational.