University of North Florida
Georgia Tech XC Invitational
Men’s Cross Country Posts Four Runners In Top 10, Finishes Runner-Up At Georgia Tech XC Invitational
10/2/2026 11:40:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. -Â North Florida men's cross country placed four runners in the top 10 and seven in the top 20 in the 8K event to earn a runner-up finish at the Georgia Tech XC Invitational at Foxhall Sporting Club on Friday morning.
The Ospreys totaled 37 points to finish second in the 13-team field, only 17 points behind host Georgia Tech. North Florida finished ahead of ASUN opponents West Florida and Stetson.
Senior Paul Lespasio led the Ospreys with a fourth-place finish and a personal-best time of 24:07.35. Sophomore Parker Banzhaf followed closely behind in fifth at a personal-best 24:10.13, while redshirt sophomore Tomer Mualem made his cross country debut by crossing the line seventh with a time of 24:14.33. Senior Colton Lawson rounded out four Ospreys in the top 10, finishing 10th with a personal-best time of 24:22.51.
Freshman Samuel Freas continued his impressive start to his collegiate career, finishing 11th with a personal-best time of 24:27.39. Redshirt sophomore Alejandro Romagosa followed in 14th at a personal-best 24:30.01, while redshirt junior Andrew Mahorner rounded out seven Ospreys in the top 20 with a personal-best time of 24:47.58.
Freshmen Oliver Dempsey, Demetrie Meyers and Jackson McLaughlin also recorded personal-best 8K marks, finishing 22nd, 28th and 41st with times of 24:55.77, 25:14.40 and 25:35.45, respectively. Sophomore Joshua Gammage placed 30th with a personal-best time of 25:16.87.
"It was a first-class meet," Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Jeff Pigg said. "The Georgia Tech staff have created a competitive meet at a beautiful venue. The guys ran very solid. Paul did a great job up front, and Parker is continuing to improve. It was also nice to have Tomer open his season with a solid run. Definitely trending in the right direction."
North Florida turned in 10 personal-best 8K performances, while Mualem established his first collegiate cross country 8K mark.
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UNF RESULTS*
4 - Paul Lespasio - 24:07.35
5 - Parker Banzhaf - 24:10.13
7 - Tomer Mualem - 24:14.33
10 - Colton Lawson - 24:22.51
11 - Samuel Freas - 24:27.39
14 - Alejandro Romagosa - 24:30.01
20 - Andrew Mahorner - 24:47.58
22 - Oliver Dempsey - 24:55.77
28 - Demetrie Meyers - 25:14.40
30 - Joshua Gammage - 25:16.87
41 - Jackson McLaughlin - 25:35.45
*All Personal Bests
TEAM FINISH RESULTS
1. Georgia Tech - 20 points
2. North Florida - 37 points
3. Stetson - 88 points
4. Chattanooga - 103 points
5. Georgia College - 149 points
6. West Florida - 182 points
7. Emory - 198 points
8. Jacksonville State - 206 points
9. Emmanuel (Ga.) - 262 points
10. Citadel - 288 points
11. Columbus State - 317 points
12. Oglethorpe - 358 points
13. Andrew College - 413 points
UP NEXT
North Florida continues its 2026 season at the Princeton XC Fall Classic on Oct. 16 in Princeton, N.J.
