NORTHAMPTON, Mass.— Junior Nick Yacoub (Sharon, Mass.) finished runner-up and three Babson College runners placed in the top 10 as the Babson College men's cross country team placed third at the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship on Saturday morning at the Smith College cross country course. 

The Beavers totaled 66 points, which is their lowest total in the NEWMAC era going back to 1998, to finish behind 10th-ranked MIT (25 points) and second-place WPI (59 points). Babson, which finished with 83 points last year and a program-best 73 points in 2024, has placed third in six consecutive seasons going back to 2021. 

Yacoub crossed the finish line of the 8k course in a time of 24:49, just four seconds behind wPI sophomore Everett Mosher, who finished in 24:45. He becomes a three-time All-Conference honoree after finishing 13th as a first-year in 2024 and placing seventh last year.

Junior Brian Ronayne (Reading, Mass.) and first-year Luca Masolo (Portland, Ore.) also earned All-Conference honors for the Beavers with top-15 place showings. Ronayne crossed the line in eighth place in a career-best time of 25:11, and Masolo came in right behind in ninth place in a season-best time of 25:12.

The Beavers's next three runners came in consecutively as first-year Matteo Chiesara (Riverside, Conn.) crossed the line in 29th place in a time of 26:18, senior Ethan Jina (Carlisle, Mass.) was 30th in a time of 26:21, and sophomore Arthur Boulot (Geneva, Switzerland) finished 31st in a time of 26:22.

After an MIT runner placed 32nd, Babson produced the next three finishers as first-year Liam Deniau-Young (Salina, Kan.) came in 33rd in a time of 26:26, senior John Hanscom (Hadley, Mass.) crossed the line 34th in 26:28, and sophomore Oliver Jones (Whanganui, New Zealand) finished 35th in 26:34.

Senior Brian Gall (Norwalk, Conn.) had a solid finish with a 39th place in 26:20, and sophomore Calvin Volkmann (Sullivan's Island, S.C.) finished 45th in 27:04.

Babson returns to action on Saturday, November 14, when it travels to South Portland, Maine, for the NCAA East Regionals at the Wainwright Sportsplex. 

MEET NOTES
• Yacoub joins Anthony Rodriguez '24 M'25 in 2024 as Babson's only NEWMAC runners-up in program history.
• Babson's three All-Conference finishers match the teammates of Rodriguez (2nd), Julian Ivarra '25 (5th), and Yacoub (13th), who achieved the feat in 2024.
• The Beavers placed three runners in the top 10 in the conference championship for the first time since doing so in the Colonial Conference in 1994.