TOWSON, Md. – Junior Dillon Farrell of the Moravian College men's cross country team has been selected the Landmark Conference Runner of the Week for the second consecutive period, and fourth overall this season.

Farrell finished in sixth place in a massive field of 372 runners at the Paul Short Run – Brown Race at Lehigh University on Saturday afternoon to lead the Greyhounds.

Farrell ran a 25:26 in his first 8,000-meter race of the season, which is the senior's second best career time in the 8K and the third fastest in Moravian history. His finishing time was only 22 seconds behind the race's winner, Khari Bowen, Jr. of NCAA Division I Monmouth University. Farrell was the highest placing finisher of all Division III harriers.

The junior's time was even more impressive considering the unseasonably hot racing conditions in Bethlehem on Saturday. Temperatures reached 85 degrees with humidity at 50 percent, causing multiple heat-related injuries and prompting emergency services to cancel the women's race at Lehigh.

"We initially wanted to get under 25:00 and use it as a midseason fitness assessment to see if we need to adjust anything in training," head coach Jesse Baumann said. "The unseasonable warmth really threw that plan out the window and he focused more on just relaxing in the lead pack, not pressing the pace and concentrating on racing tactics rather than times and personal records. Dillon still ended up running over 20 seconds faster than last year despite the poor racing conditions, so we were both really happy with how everything went."

Farrell's phenomenal time helped the Greyhounds finish 33rd out of 46 in the team competition at the Paul Short Run – Brown Race, which features multiple Division I and II schools and the deepest field Moravian will face all season.

Farrell and the Moravian men return to the cross country courses after an off week on Saturday, Oct. 19 at the Princeton University Invitational, where Farrell ran a school-record 24:44 in the 8K last season.