CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton men's cross country team opened its season at the Castleton Invitational Saturday morning, finishing fifth out of six teams with a team time of 1:40:42.

Zach Taylor led the way for the Spartans, placing 16^th overall with a time of 17:56.3. Robert Ragazzo followed in 34^th with a time of 19:48.2, while Asher Lauzon finished 37^th in 20:04.2.

Andrew Drenga was next across the line for Castleton, placing 40^th with a time of 20:41.8. Alex Hay finished 46^th in 22:11.5, followed by Noah McDonald in 47^th with a time of 22:34.5.

Nathan Benson placed 49^th with a time of 22:55.1 and Shamir Rimal rounded out the Spartan runners in 50^th, crossing the line in 22:57.9. With the addition of several new members this season, the Spartans will look to continue building their depth and developing the program throughout the season.

The Spartans will continue next Saturday, Sept, 12, when they compete at the Hamilton Short Course Invitational, with the race beginning at 11:45 a.m.