Geneseo Men's Cross Country Wins 11th SUNYAC Championship; Berube Takes Third Individual Title
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WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. – The SUNY Geneseo men’s cross country team had a dominant showing at the 2011 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Men’s Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., winning its 11th conference title in program history by boasting the top four individual finishes. The State University of New York at New Paltz served as the event’s host.
The Blue Knights had a near-perfect point total, as they won by collecting just 17 points. A perfect total, which would require a finish of first through fifth, is 15. SUNY Cortland boasted runner-up honors (60), while SUNY Plattsburgh came in third (90). SUNY Oneonta (fourth, 126), SUNY Fredonia (fifth, 143), SUNY Oswego (sixth, 147), The College at Brockport (seventh, 160), Buffalo State (eighth, 237), New Paltz (ninth, 242) and SUNY Potsdam (10th, 330) rounded out the remainder of the team standings.
The SUNYAC men excelled in spite of the elements, as sub-40 degree Fahrenheit temperatures gave way to snowfall midway through the race. While the course would be covered in snow an hour later, the race ended in enough time to avoid any potential hazards with regard to the winter storm.
Geneseo head coach Mike Woods was tabbed as the SUNYAC Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year for the ninth time in his career in recognition of the Blue Knights’ dominant performance.
Lee Berube clocked the top time in the men’s 8K race, checking in at 25:24.69. This marks Berube’s third conference title, which puts him in rare company in SUNYAC history. Only two other harriers in the history of the league have won three individual championships, and it has not occurred for nearly two decades.
Teammate Edward Novara navigated the course in a second-place 25:51.40, and two other Blue Knights, Mark Streb and Tom Clark, finished in sequence behind Novara, placing third and fourth with respective times of 26:02.80 and 26:10.59. Nick Marcantonio of Cortland took fifth (26:12.08), while Ryan Millar of Plattsburgh and Andrew Corcoran of Geneseo finished sixth and seventh with respective times of 26:15.77 and 26:18.66 to round out the First-Team All-SUNYAC recipients.
The All-SUNYAC Second Team included Pat Fannon of Cortland (eighth, 26:26.19), Justin Harrington of Plattsburgh (ninth, 26:32.04), Christopher Carter of Geneseo (10th, 26:35.94), Christopher Moore of Geneseo (11th, 26:38.66), Peter Francia of Fredonia (12th, 26:39.79), Dylan Hardwick of Oswego (13th, 26:41.89), Joe Blazey of Cortland (14th, 26:47.43) and Cody Amengual of Cortland (15th, 26:49.73).
Streb, Clark and Marcantonio were all welcomed into the SUNYAC Men’s Cross Country Hall of Fame as a result of their finishes.
First-Team All-SUNYAC honors go to those who place first through seventh at the SUNYAC Championships, while Second-Team All-SUNYAC honors go to those who place eighth through 15th. In order to be recognized in the SUNYAC Cross Country Hall of Fame, you must either finish in the top five at the conference championships once, finish in the top 10 at two different conference championships or finish in the top 15 at three different conference championships.
