In his inaugural cross country season, Merritt broke out with a fourth place result at the Gettysburg Invitational to collect his first NEC Rookie of the Week accolade. The NC State transfer from Smithsburg, MD steered through the 8K course in 26:12.5 as the NEC's second harrier to cross the finish line. The impressive run by the redshirt freshman helped the Mount secure a team win in a field of 28 teams and almost 300 runners.