LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- Houghton's men's and women's cross country teams opened the 6K/8K portion of their seasons with strong performances Saturday at the Lock Haven Invitational.

The men were led by Henry Sardina and Connor Little, who both posted lifetime bests over the 8K course. Sardina finished in 26:37.1, followed closely by Little in 26:40.9. Four of Houghton's top five scorers recorded personal bests, with all five finishing under 28 minutes. The group posted a team average of 27:07.

Emberlynn Nolt paced the Houghton women with a 16th-place finish in a personal-best 22:30.8 over 6K. Aria Larson followed in 23:31.6, while Risa Palmer posted a breakthrough performance with a lifetime-best 24:03.2, more than 30 seconds faster than her previous best. Houghton's top five scorers averaged 23:47.

Freshmen Elijah Strickland and Hope Castelucci also made their collegiate debuts at the full race distances. Strickland finished the 8K in 28:51.7, while Castelucci completed the 6K in 26:58.3.

Houghton returns to action in two weeks when they host the Highlander Invitational on October 10 at the Field of Dreams Course.