LINCOLN, R.I. – With three runners finishing among the top four – including a first and second-place finish – the Wentworth Institute of Technology cross country team successfully defended its title at the Tri-State Invitational at the Community College of Rhode Island.

The Leopards, who tied for first last weekend at the Pop Crowell Invitational, won their first meet outright of the season after scoring 36 points. Bridgewater State finished second with 76 points while Roger Williams rounded out the top three teams with 79 points. A total of 12 teams and 103 runners competed in the eight-kilometer race.

Sophomores Patrick Hopkins (Lansdale, Pa.) and Dan McSolla (Bridgewater, Mass.) were the first two runners to cross the finish line, completing the race in times of 27:02.4 and 27:12.6, respectively, while classmate Alex Robbins (Mansfield, Mass.) placed fourth with a time of 27:27.9 to round out Wentworth's top three runners.

Freshman Jonah Eisman (New York, N.Y.) finished 12th with a time of 28:36.6, junior David Ouellette (Wells, Maine) was 17th after posting a time of 28:56.9, freshman Josh Gangemi (Norton, Mass.) was 21st with a time of 29:03.7, while sophomore Clay Harman (Broad Brook, Conn.) was Wentworth's seventh scoring runner with a 41st-place (40 points) finish in a time of 30:21.4

Freshman Chris Kaberle (Pelham, Mass.) posted a time of 30:40.3 to finish 44th in the field.

The Leopards will run again on Friday, October 16, at the Saints Invitational in Boston's Franklin Park.