STANDISH, Maine -- The University of New England men's cross country team got the 2012 season off to a strong start, nearly posting a perfect score as they defeated host Saint Joseph's College at the St. Joe's Duel on Saturday (Sep. 1) morning. UNE had an aggregate score of 16, while the Monks finished with 47 points.

UNE sophomore Shane Murphy (Glastonbury, Conn.) edged teammate Nate DiMartino (Hilton, N.Y.) by less than a second to take the individual title. Both runners recorded an official time of 22:10 over the six-kilometer course.

Sophomore Chad Lyons (West Rutland, Vt.) placed third for the Nor'easters, registering a time of 22:48, while first-year Gabe Turner (Portland, Maine) followed close behind at 22:56. Rookie CJ Vallie (Nashua, N.H.) was the other scoring runner for Big Blue. He finished sixth with a time of 23:12.

The Nor'easters will host their own event next Saturday (Sep. 8). The UNE Invitational is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. at Rotary Park in Biddeford.