Men's Cross Country | 11/11/2023 3:06:21 PM
Six Empire 8 teams competed at the Niagara Regional, and Russell Sage College competed at the Mideast Regional, as part of the 2023 NCAA Cross Country Regional Championships on Saturday, Nov. 11. The Niagara Regional was held at Field of Dreams in Houghton, NY, hosted by the Houghton University, while the Mideast Regional was raced at Stanley Park in Westfield, MA, hosted by Westfield State University.
A total of 10 teams (one per regional) will automatically qualify for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Nov. 18. There will be 22 at-large teams selected by a committee that will be announced on Nov. 12. In addition, a total of 70 individuals will automatically qualify for the national championship. The top-seven runners not from a qualifying team will be determined the top-seven qualifiers per region. Those qualifiers will also be confirmed and announced on Nov. 12.
MEN
Empire 8 runner-up Nazareth had the top team finish, placing tenth overall at the Niagara Regional with 253 points, while Empire 8 Champion Houghton finished 11th with 269 points.
Five E8 student-athletes earned All-Region accolades by finishing in the top-35. Nazareth junior Cade Eells was the top Empire 8 finisher, placing 17th overall out of 176 runners with a time of 25:00.9 over the 8,000-meter course. Teammate Nathan Bowers, who earned All-Region honors last season, placed 24th overall, completing the course in 25:20.5. The Houghton duo of Zachary Tucker and Amos Bixker finished 27th and 28th overall. Tucker earned a time of 25:30.1 and Bixler ran in 25:30.2. Ethan Billings of St. John Fisher recorded a 33rd place finish with a time of 25:36.0.
Utica's Bennett Melita, the 2023 Empire 8 Champion and teammate Anthony Leotta both all finished in the top-60 overall, at 55th and 60th, respectively.
Eells and Bowers will await Sunday's selections to see if they qualify for nationals.
Niagara Region Participants:
Nazareth - 10th - 253 points
Houghton - 11th - 269 points
Utica - 13th - 363 points
St. John Fisher - 14th - 372 points
Alfred - 21st - 629 points
Hartwick - 23rd - 734 points
Mideast Regional Participant:
Russell Sage - No Team Score
WOMEN
Empire 8 runner-up St. John Fisher had the top team finish, placing seventh overall at the Niagara Regional with 196 points, while E8 Champion Nazareth was right behind in eighth with 203 points.
Five Empire 8 runners earned All-Region accolades by finishing in the top-35. Houghton's Noelle Linenfelser, the E8 Individual Champion two weeks ago, finished 21st overall over the 6,000-meter course, recording a time of 22:27.8.
Nazareth standout Lilianna Hanning was the second best E8 finisher, placing 24th over in 22:30.0, while Riley Jameson led a strong St. John Fisher contingent by placing 26th, in 22:36.0. Ella Impaglia of Nazareth finished two seconds behind James in 28th overall, while Brigid McGee was 33rd in 22:42.9.
Nazareth's Emily Weaver, Paige Ackley and Megan Moyer, along with the St. John Fisher trio of Lauren Demichele, Laura Witt and Caitlin Voloshen and Utica's Jade Dening all finished in the top-60 at the Niagara Region Championship. Elizabeth Ingellis of Russell Sage finished 59th at the Mideast Regional.
Linenfelser will await Sunday's selections to see if she qualifies for nationals.
The Empire 8 results and regional split can be seen below:
Niagara Region Participants:
St. John Fisher - 7th - 196 points
Nazareth - 8th - 203 points
Houghton - 13th - 380 points
Utica - 16th - 462 points
Alfred - 18th - 531 points
Hartwick - 20th - 566 points
Mideast Regional Participant:
Russell Sage - 20th - 573 points
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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