LAKELAND, Fla. - The Florida Tech men's cross country team began the 2026 season on Saturday morning at the Uncle Nick's Swan City Bagel Run 6K at Holloway Park. The Panthers earned a second-place finish in eight-school field thanks to an average time of 19:18.

Overall, Tech had four runners finish in the Top 20, six in the Top 30 and nine in the Top 40.
 
Sophomore Noah Heal, as he often did in 2025, was the first Crimson and Gray runner across the line with his time of 19:07.70 good for ninth place out of 98 participants. Fellow sophomore Tom Evans immediately followed Heal, earning 10^th place with a time of 19:08.70 in his first collegiate race after missing last season.

Thomas Carpenter (19:11.90) earned 11^th place, setting a new personal record by nearly 30 seconds. Shane Levesque grabbed 17^th (19:23.30) in his first race for Tech and shaving 2 minutes off his personal record. Freshman Wesley Petersen took 22^nd in his collegiate debut, reaching the line at 19:35.70.

Jake Greene (20:20.50), Bryce Haner (20:55.00) and Rhett Turner (19:45.80) each set new personal records.

In total, all 11 Panther runners completed the 6K in under 22 minutes.
 
Men's Top Finishers (Place)
1. Noah Heal – 19:07.70 (9th)
2. Tom Evans – 19:08.70 (10th)
3. Thomas Carpenter – 19:11.90 (11th)
4. Shane Levesque – 19:23.30 (17th)
5. Wesley Petersen – 19:35.70 (22nd)
6. Rhett Turner – 19:45.80 (25th)
7. Dominic Longobardi – 20:03.10 (31st)
8. Jake Greene– 20:20.50 (36th)
9. Tyler Herrera – 20:33.20 (42nd)
10. Brycen Haner – 20:55.00 (54th)
11. Luigino Sirabella – 21:45.20 (65th)

NEXT UP:
The Panthers will return to competition on Saturday, October 10^th in Romeoville, Illinois for the Lewis Crossover, which is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the Florida Tech men's cross country team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up to date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.