Completed Event: Men's Cross Country versus Friar Invitational on September 5, 2025 ,
Men's Cross Country
vs Friar Invitational
Final
Providence College Athletics
2022 Men's Cross Country Preview
7/20/2022 11:50:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Marcelo Rocha returns for his final year to lead the Friars.
The 2022 men's cross country team will be led by a strong group of upperclassman, graduate students Marcelo Rocha (Peabody, Mass.) and David McGlynn (Waterford, Ireland), junior Liam Back (New Plymouth, New Zealand), and graduate transfer David Principe, Jr. (Johnston, RI).
The Friar men open their season at the Friar Invitational on September 9 at the Mark Coogan Course at Highland Park in Attleboro, Mass. Rocha will be one of the top returners for the Friars this season. Rocha finished fourth at the BIG EAST Cross Country Championships on October 29, 2021 in a time of 24:22.7. Rocha also represented the Friars as an individual qualifier at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships this past season in Tallahassee, Florida, where he placed 61st in a time of 29:25.8. Back had a strong showing in his sophomore season where he was awarded All-BIG EAST accolades for his eighth place finish at the BIG EAST Cross Country Champions on October 29 (24:32.2). Back also had a strong showing at the NCAA Division I Northeast Region Cross Country Championships, where he placed 19th (30:52.3), helping the team to a fourth place finish.
Helping lead the Friars throughout this season also will be junior Pat Thygesen (Brisbane, Australia), sophomore Abdel Laadjel (Lucan, Ireland) and junior Shane Coffey (Naas, Ireland). Laadjel, Coffey and Thygeson all scored for the Friars on multiple occasions, proving themselves to be key returning runners this upcoming season. Laadjel also had a strong showing last season in the post-season races after he won the CCSU Mini Meet and was awarded National Athlete of the Week. A key newcomer for the team will be graduate transfer David Principe, Jr. (Johnston, RI). During his time at Stanford University, Principe competed at four NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, most recently helping his team to a fifth-place finish at the 2021 Championships.
The Friars will look to make an appearance at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships this year, after qualifying for the championship during 21 of the last 29 seasons.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
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