PURCHASE, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's University, New York (Brooklyn) cross country teams opened their 2026 campaigns at the SUNY Purchase Invitational on Saturday. The women placed eighth among 11 teams, while the men finished 10th out of 12, finishing ahead of host Purchase and Sarah Lawrence.

Mercedes Perez (San Antonio, Texas) led the women's squad with a 19:07.0 finish in the 4k, placing 28th overall. Newcomer Savana Zagoreos (Peabody, Mass.) also broke the 20-minute mark, while senior Jennifer Sarji (Brooklyn, N.Y.) finished in exactly 20:00.

Jizelle Velazquez (New York, N.Y.) and Vivian Garcia (Eastvale, Calif.) completed the Bears' scoring five, crossing the finish line in 21:43 and 21:45, respectively. Doraly Diaz (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Gabriella Cinque (Staten Island, N.Y.), and Meredith Vento (Wauwatosa, Wis.) rounded out the SJBK contingent, each finishing in under 28 minutes.

The Bears totaled 175 points, placing them between Farmingdale State (167) and 2025 Skyline Conference champion Sarah Lawrence (186).

All five of St. Joseph's men's finishers crossed the line within five minutes of one another, with each completing the course in under 30 minutes. Ganilo Quintos (Boston, Mass.) led the way with a 24:05 finish, good for a top-40 placement. He was followed by fellow cross-country rookies Jon-Marcus Diaz (Corona, N.Y.) in 25:26.2 and Trey DeMeo (Barnegat, N.J.) in 27:26.9.

Gabriel Lopez (Forest Hills, N.Y.) and Guillermo Noriega (Glendale, N.Y.) completed the Bears' lineup, with both finishing inside the top 100.

The Bears will head down the Jersey Shore as they return to the Stockton University Osprey Open for the first time since the 2024 season on Saturday, September 19. The men open the proceedings with the 8k at 10:30 am while the women's 6k is slated for 11:15 am.