Geneseo Set To Host NCAA Division III Atlantic Region Cross Country Championships
NCAA Atlantic Region Championship Home Page
GENESEO, N.Y. - Letchworth State Park will be the site of the 2013 NCAA Division III Atlantic Region Men's & Women's Cross Country Championships this Saturday, Nov. 16.Â
The women's race is slated to start at 11:00 a.m. followed by the men's race at 12:30 p.m. at the Highbanks Recreation Area. The championship marks the fifth time SUNY Geneseo has hosted the event since 1999.
CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
Both the New York University men and women are favored to win team titles at the 2013 Atlantic Region Cross Country Championships, Saturday.
The defending champion Violets sit atop the most recent men's poll, just ahead of SUNYAC rivals Cortland and Geneseo, which finished third and second, respectively, in last year's championship.Â
NYU is coming off a runner-up finish at last weekend's UAA Championships that saw the squad finish second to Washington College (ranked No. 2 nationally) by a 26-49 margin. Senior Dylan Karten, who finished runner-up in last year's Atlantic Regional race, led the Violets with a third-place showing (25:24.6), followed by senior Ross Wistar (25:37.7) and junior Dharan Kadiyala (25:38.9) in eighth and ninth places, respectively. Junior Sebastian Oja also returns after running to fifth place at last year's regional.Â
Cortland edged Geneseo, 20-41, two weeks ago at the SUNYAC Championships to snap the Knights' streak of four-consecutive titles. Junior Nick Marcantonio won the individual title (24:51.5) and looks to improve on a 10th-place showing in last year's regional race. Red Dragon senior Cody Amengual trailed in second (25:00.0), followed by Knights junior Ryan Moynihan (25:08.1) in third. Cortland senior Casey Austin (25:11.1) and Geneseo junior Cohen Miles-Rath (25:16.0) rounded out the top-five of the SUNYAC showdown.
On the women's side, top-ranked NYU and second-ranked Geneseo are the favorites to break the four-year stranglehold St. Lawrence has had on the region.
NYU narrowly finished second at the UAA Championships last week to No. 7 Chicago, 54-60, as four Violets cracked the top-11. Sophomore Lily Corsaro led the way in fourth (22:06.1), followed by sophomore Sarah Czuprynski in seventh (22:19.0) and junior Hannah Borenstein in eighth (22:24.7). Junior Emily Cousens, who ran to sixth place at last year's Atlantic Regional, crossed the finish line in 11th (22:37.0)
Geneseo cruised to its 13th SUNYAC title in the last 14 seasons behind individual champion junior Keira Wood (22:01.4) and four other top-10 finishers, including classmates Jacquie Huben in third (22:07.8) and Joanna Castrogivanni in sixth (22:17.0).
St. Lawrence took care of business at last week's Liberty League Championships, placing five runners in the top-10. Defending Atlantic Region individual champion senior Amy Cymerman finished runner-up (21:35), followed closely by senor Ariel Becia in third (21:49).Â
RPI senior Grace Tilton is one of the regional's individual favorites after winning the Liberty individual title in convincing fashion (21:23). Brockport junior Rachel Malone, who finished fourth at last year's regional, is back following a fourth-place showing at the SUNYAC Championship. Â Three other top-10 finishers from last year's race are also in thie year's field, including Cortland senior Emily Cotey (8th), Stevens Institute sophomore Amy Regan (9th) and Vassar senior Aubree Piepmeier (10th).Â
The top-two team finishers will automatically move on to next week's NCAA Division III National Championships in Hanover, Ind., while 16 other at-large bids will be awarded across the nation's eight total regions. The top-seven individual finishers from each region not on one of the team qualifiers will also qualify for the national championship.
