Bethpage, N.Y. - The 2026 Adelphi University cross country season began on Friday as the team raced it's first of four meets on the Bethpage Polo at the Park course, taking fifth overall. 

The Panther men were the top Division II finishing team, placing behind Division I competition in Cornell, Iona, Central Connecticut and Monmouth. The D1 competition in attendance was previewing the course as nearby Hofstra will host the CAA Championship plus the NCAA Northeast Regional later this fall. 

Highlights:

• Deven Bernardin was the top harrier to cross the finish line for Adelphi, clocking in at 27:20.9 overall to place 39th in the field of 157 competitors. Teammate Noah Mach was tight on his heels to place 40th in a time of 27:21.0.
• Mosiah Calderon was also close behind, and used a time of 27:42.5 to finish inside the top-50 at 43rd. His opening day time is just 17 seconds off his personal best 8K time. 
• NCAA All-Region finisher Maxwell Krapf was the fourth overall finisher of the course for the Panthers and was separated by six seconds from teammate Jack Riegger who rounded out the top-five. 
• Tristan Cuevas, Jay Singh and Giuseppe Gambino all ran the course for the first time for the Brown and Gold. 

Adelphi will have some time before their next race, as they take on the Lock Haven XC Invite on Saturday, Sept. 26.