Waterville, Maine: The SUNY Cobleskill men's cross country team made their initial appearance at the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Championships a memorable one as the Fighting Tigers posted a team total of 31 points to capture the league's 2021 team championship over a 10-team field on Saturday at Thomas College's campus cross country course. Cobleskill had entered the meet as the projected favorite in the conference's pre-championship coaches' poll and is currently ranked seventh in the in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division III Niagara Region Coaches Poll.
Running on an extremely difficult hilly 8000-meter woodland course that was further made challenging by wet weather condition Cobleskill put five runners in all-conference positions led by first-year harrier
Eamonn Sullivan, Wappinger Falls, N.Y., Fordham Preparatory School, who won the league's individual title by outdistancing the 86-runner field with a time of 27:32.0 to earn first team all-conference honors. The victory was the talented rookie's fifth invitational win of the season.
The Orange & Black also received first team all-conference efforts from sophomore
Nick Logan, Queensbury, N.Y., Queensbury High School, who placed third overall in 27:47.8 and from senior
Dillon VanDemortel, Newark, N.Y., Newark High School, who placed fifth with a time of 28:43.5.
The Cobleskill scoring was rounded out by senior
Jared Craw, Colonie, N.Y., Colonie High School/Hudson Valley Community College, who placed ninth in 29:01.4 and by first-year runner
Shane Viscosi, Fultonville, N.Y., Fonda-Fultonville High School, finished in 13
th place overall with a time of 29:21.6 to earn second-team all-conference honors for each of them.
With the program claiming its first NAC title along with its program record setting sixth invitational win of the year, Fighting Tiger Head Coach Mitch Tomaszkiewicz had high praise for his team.
"We ran an excellent race on an extremely tough course under some difficult weather and course conditions. I have said all year long that we have tough kids and today they showed how true that statement was. It was not about running fast times or setting personal bests today. It was about reaching down and pushing themselves collectively to win in the face of the elements. As a coach I am very fortunate to work with such a dedicated group of young men and I am very proud of them. Now it is on to the regionals to see what can be accomplished."
The Fighting Tigers will next be in action on Saturday November 13 when they travel to Geneseo, N.Y. for the 2021 NCAA Division III Niagara Regional Championships hosted by SUNY Geneseo at the National Warplane Museum Cross Country Course beginning at 11:00 a.m.
COMPLETE RESULTS
