Trinity Men’s Cross Country Builds Momentum Heading Into NESCACs: A Talk With Senior Captain Saqlain Anjum ’26

Annika Haley ’26

Sports Editor

The Trinity College men’s cross country team opened its 2025 campaign on a high note, earning a third-place finish at the newly renamed George Suitor Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Wickham Park. The meet began with a special ceremony honoring retired Head Coach George Suitor, who led Trinity’s cross country and track and field programs for 20 years before retiring in 2022. 

John Hutchins ’28 led the way for Trinity, placing seventh overall with a time of 16:53.90. He was closely followed by Evan Small ’29 (17:04.80), Tyler Johnson ’28 (17:17.50) and Brendan Burm ’28 (17:20.20), each earning top-25 finishes. Nielsen Kasser ’29 (17:22.40) and Theo Kessler ’29 (17:29.80) also performed well in their collegiate debuts, both finishing inside the top 30.

The Bantams carried their early momentum into their next meet, finishing third at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 20. Johnson once again led Trinity, clocking a 26:03.10 to finish 13th overall. Jack Blanchfield ’28 (19th, 26:32.89) and Small (25th, 26:57.19) rounded out the Bantams’ top three, helping Trinity secure its second straight top-three team finish. Dolan Pols ’27, Alex Willard ’27, and TJ Sparno ’27, along with Burm and Mark Kanner ’29 and Brendan Nolan ’29, all finished within the top 50 to strengthen the Bantams’ depth.

At the Keene State Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 4th, the Bantams placed 14th out of 25 teams in a competitive field. Calix McCormick ’28 led Trinity with a team-best time of 27:04, good for 86th overall. He was followed by Tim Hamilton ’28 (27:23), Kanner (27:37), and Nolan (27:39), with Saqlain Anjum ’26 (28:06) and Kessler (28:28) rounding out the team’s scoring efforts. 

On Saturday, Oct. 18th, Trinity competed at the Connecticut College Invitational at Harkness Memorial State Park, where the team split into two divisions. In the Blue race, Trinity finished 28th out of 32 teams, posting a total time of 2:12:11. Johnson once again led the Bantams with a time of 25:40 (103rd), followed by Small (26:20.3), Pols (26:22), Blanchfield (26:38), and Willard (27:10). McCormick (27:31) and Hamilton (27:39) rounded out the Blue race lineup.

In the White race, the Bantams placed 23rd out of 37 teams. Kasser continued his strong first-year campaign with a time of 26:50, finishing 81st overall. He was followed by Anjum (27:39), Kanner (27:49), Nolan (28:07) and Kessler (28:30).

The Bantams will look to carry their momentum into the NESCAC Championship on Saturday, Nov. 1. The Tripod caught up with senior captain Anjum to reflect on the team’s season and discuss their goals and mindset heading into the NESCAC Championship. 

Anjum reflected on the team’s progress this season, highlighting both their growth and cohesion. Looking back, he noted, “Everyone on the team is running really close to one another, giving us a tight pack with a minimal spread to maximize the points we can score at bigger meets this year. It’s promoting a culture of working both with and off each other more during practices and big races, especially going into championship season.” 

With so many underclassmen contributing early on, Anjum has seen the team come together quickly. “We have had our biggest recruiting class in at least three to four years, so a lot of our team currently is made up of fresh faces of both new freshmen and some sophomore transfers. We’re looking to raise our floor as a team and elevate ourselves to become a stronger program in the coming years, and this year has been really indicative of that first big step since we have brought on people who are really committed to that journey.” 

Looking ahead to the NESCAC Championship, Anjum described the team’s preparation and aspirations: “The team is looking really dialed for championship season with our team currently being ranked in the top 10 alongside the women’s team for the entire New England Region in D3. Our goal is to run well at NESCAC’s, but then also ensure that we can move up to be around 8th or 7th in our region, which would be massive considering all of the top six teams in our region are ranked nationally in the NCAA and are top 20 in the NCAA Division III. The ultimate goal in the coming years would be to get our team to that top 5th or 6th spot regionally so that we can become a nationally ranked program.” 

Reflecting on what it means to lead in his senior season, Anjum said, “Having seen this team through a variety of highs and lows in my last four years, leading it in my senior season to me means helping foster a culture of dedicated runners who are looking to be as competitive as possible in their time here and help build a program that will continue to produce better and better athletes every year. Just improve the floor by 1% every season.”