HARTFORD, Conn. - The Hartford men's cross country team will stay local for this year's Conference of New England Championships on Saturday, October 31st, at Keney Park. This marks the Hawks' third season competing in the championship, following a third-place finish among 10 teams last year with a total score of 70 points. The men will compete in the 8K race, which is scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM.
Championship Headlines:
Last week, Hartford competed in the highly competitive Central Connecticut State University Mini Meet, placing seventh out of seven teams. Despite the result, the Hawks look to build momentum heading into conference action. Hartford's strongest team performance this season came at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational, where the Hawks placed fourth out of 20 teams. As the Hawks turn their attention to the conference championships, several key runners will look to lead the team with strong individual performances.
Junior Owen Klein (Coventry, R.I.) led the way, winning the 8K race with a time of 25:19.02. Klein followed up that performance at the Connecticut College Invitational, setting a new personal best of 25:14.8. He has been a consistent standout for the men's team throughout the season. At last year's Conference of New England Championships, Klein was Hartford's top runner, crossing the line in 26:02.36 to claim fourth place overall. Throughout the season, Klein has won Conference of New England Runner of the Week in back to back performances.
Alongside Klein, senior Trae McIntyre (Troy, N.Y.) has played an important role in Hartford's success. McIntyre has consistently placed among the team's top five scorers this season. His strongest performance came at the Connecticut College Invitational, where he recorded an 8K personal best of 26:04.4 to place 40th overall. At the 2025 Conference of New England Championships, McIntyre was also among Hartford's top five runners.
Sophomore Gavin Mize (Downingtown, Pa.) delivered a strong performance at the Hawks' most recent meet, the Central Connecticut State University Mini Meet, where he established a new personal best. Mize led Hartford across the line with a time of 16:02.7 in the 5K race. At the 2025 conference championships, he rounded out the Hawks' top five, placing 27th overall alongside McIntyre.
Another Hawk to watch is senior Keller Casey (Charlton, N.Y.), who has been a consistent contributor for Hartford, earning multiple top-five finishes among his teammates. Casey recorded his fastest time of the season at the University of Hartford Invitational in September, clocking 16:47.4 in the 5K to place among the top 20 competitors. As a senior, Casey's experience will be valuable heading into the conference championships, where he will look to help lead the Hawks to another strong team performance.
Live statistics for the event will be tracked at this link:
https://fat.live/meets/75905
As well as a live stream to the event will be accessible through the following link:
https://www.nsnsports.net/conferences/cne/
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE OF NEW ENGLAND:
Originally founded in 1984 as the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), and reconstituted as the Conference of New England (CNE) in 2024, the CNE is an NCAA Division III athletic conference composed of 10 full member and five associate member institutions throughout the New England region. Its membership aims to provide student-athletes with a positive experience in their pursuit of excellence through high academic standards, quality competition, and a meaningful student life. The Conference administers championships in 20 intercollegiate sports.
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