WATERFORD, Conn. - Graduate student John Reed finished fourth overall and junior Matt Lecky was eighth to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's cross country team to third place at the 2021 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Championship. The Engineers, ranked No. 19 in the nation, had 82 points, which trailed only No. 4 Williams College (54 points) and No. 12 Middlebury College (68). 

The victorious Ephs earned an automatic berth to next Saturday's NCAA Championship, while the other schools, including RPI, await Sunday's announcement for the at-large teams and the full field that will compete in Louisville, Ky.

Reed trailed a trio of Williams runners and crossed the finish line in 25:09.9 to pace the Engineers. Aidan Ryan won the 8k race that was held at Harkness Park with a time of 24:35.8. He was nine seconds in front of Elias Lindgren (24:46.6) and 20 seconds ahead of Grahm Tuohy-Gaydos (24:55.5).

Lecky was second on the Engineers with a time of 25:20.3 with two teammates only 13-14 places behind. Owen Szabo ran a 25:43.9 and Vincent Simonetti crossed in 25:44.2.

Cory Kennedy (25:56.9; 27th), Jason Gibbons (26:05.5; 32nd) and Steven Spreizer (26:20.3; 39th) also competed for the Engineers, finishing in the top 40 in the field of 174 competitors.