Men's Cross Country | 10/31/2024 12:35:00 PM
Host Houghton University will look to repeat as league champions, as the 2024 Empire 8 Men’s Cross Country Championship will take place at 12 p.m. on Saturday, November 2 at Field of Dreams Park in Houghton, NY. Eleven teams will vie for the team title in the 8,000-meter event. E8 newcomers SUNY Brockport, SUNY Geneseo and SUNY Poly make their league championship debut as well. Live results will be able from
www.leonetiming.com.
Houghton University garnered its first Empire 8 Championship in 2023 and will look to repeat as champions this season. Juniors Amos Bixler, James Eustace and Ben Allen, along with senior Sam Lyon will look to lead the way. Both Bixler was an All-Empire 8 first team selections and earned All-Niagara Region accolades last season, while Lyon and Eustace were All-E8 second team picks and Allen was a third team selection. Bixler was third at the Highlander Invitational on Oct. 12 and has three top-15 finishes this season. Eustace placed ninth at the Highlander Invitational.
The Golden Flyers of
Nazareth University enter the 2024 championship looking to get back to the top of the Empire 8 after earning runner-up honors last season. The Golden Flyers return four of their top five finishers from last season’s E8 Championship winning team, including senior Cade Eells. Eells was named 2023 Empire 8 Co-Runner of the Year and was runner-up in last year’s Empire 8 Championship. In addition, he earned All-Niagara Region honors and will look to earn his fourth straight All-Empire 8 first team accolade. He was also named the E8 Runner of the Week on Sept. 16 and has three top-10 finishes this season. Senior Ethan Kenyon is back after earning All-E8 first team honors in 2023, while fellow multiple All-E8 selections Antonio Benitez and Connor Jackson will look to replicate those honors. Kenyon has three top-20 finishes this season.
Utica University will look to improve on last year’s third place finish at the Empire 8 Championships and return virtually its entire roster from last season. Sophomore Bennett Melita was named the 2023 Empire 8 Co-Runner of the Year and Rookie of the Year. He won the 2023 Empire 8 Championship in a meet record time of 24:54. He has earned Empire 8 Runner of the Week honors twice this season to date and won individual titles at the SUNY Poly Short Course Invitational, Wildcat Invitational and Hamilton Invitational. Junior Tobias Jeralds earned All-Empire 8 second team honors in 2023, while All-E8 third team selections Zach Brown and Anthony Leotta will also be counted to lead the way this weekend.
St. John Fisher University will look to get back to the top of the Empire 8 in 2024. All-E8 second team selection, senior Riley Nash, and sophomore Jace Stuart, an All-E8 third team pick are both back to lead the way this weekend. Stuart has three top-20 finishes this season. Juniors Nate Kulp and Reid Hooker, along with seniors Nathan Szatkowski, Dylan Esquivel, Joshua Sandoval and first-year Connor Stanton will look to garner All-E8 honors.
Alfred University Alfred will look to improve its place in the Empire 8 after finishing fifth overall in 2023. The Saxons return six of their top seven runners from last season for head coach Matt Phillips. Finnegan Dean was Alfred’s top finisher at the 2023 E8 Championships, placing 27th overall. Jacob Taylor, Yuner Sesmas and Max Rasilla also garnered top-50 finishes last season. Aidan Bieron, Damian Brown, and Garrett Farabaugh will look ton contribute this weekend as well.
Hartwick College will look to vault up the standings in the 2024 Empire 8 Championship under head coach Nathan Crews. under head coach Nathan Crews. Sophomores Erik Higgins and Ethan Benedict will be counted on to lead the way this weekend, along with newcomers Devon Spalding. Lawrence McCumiskey, Chris Williams, Jayden Perera and Kevin Cando.
With three seasons under their belt,
Keuka College will look to improve at the 2024 Empire 8 Championships under first year head coach Ryan Johnson. Junior Jesse Bolster is poised to lead the Wolves for the third consecutive year. Cameron Hovater, Anthony Manzari and Jacob Coluci will also be expected to contribute for the Wolves.
Russell Sage College will look to make its way up the Empire 8 standings this fall. Christopher Pellegrini will be looked at to lead the way for the Gators, while Robert Cusato and Isaac Langer will also contend. Pellegrini was Russell Sage’s top finisher at the 2023 Empire 8 Championships.
The Golden Eagles of
SUNY Brockport make their Empire 8 Championship debut in 2024, fresh off a runner-up finish at the 2023 SUNYAC Championship and third place finish at the NCAA Niagara Region Championships. In addition, Brockport had three student-athletes compete at the 2023 NCAA Championships, including Jared Smith and Jonathan Zavala, who return for head coach John Davis. Smith, the Empire 8 Runner of the Week on Sept. 9, placed eighth at the All-Atlantic Regional to qualify for nationals and placed 125th at the NCAA Championship. Zavala was ninth at the All-Atlantic Regional, qualifying for nationals. In addition, Patrick Klinger, Charlie Alekson, and Sean Kilip will contend for All-E8 accolades.
National powerhouse
SUNY Geneseo makes its Empire 8 Championship debut this weekend. Geneseo is currently ranked fifth nationally in the latest USTFCCCA Division III national poll and have won three team titles this season. The Knights finished their run in the SUNYAC with nine straight league titles and 21 league championships overall. Last season, Geneseo won both the SUNYAC and Niagara Region Championships and sent a team to nationals for the 20th straight season. Led by head coach Dan Moore, Geneseo has a strong group of student-athletes set to compete, including Empire 8 Runners of the Week Pierce Young, Alex Hillyard, Charlie and Ryan Hagan, in addition to former All-SUNYAC selections Austin Schoen and Nick Bauman.
SUNY Poly makes its Empire 8 debut in 2024 after competing in the North Atlantic Conference last season. Head coach Jerry Tine enters his first season with the Wildcats and has a group of student-athletes looking to compete for All-E8 honors, including senior Caleb McDermott and junior Noah Breedy.
The 2024 E8 Championship schedule is below. For the most up to date information on this year's championship, follow the Empire 8 Conference on X and Instagram (@Empire8). Live results will be available at
www.leonetiming.com.
2024 Empire 8 Cross Country Championship Schedule
Saturday, November 2
Women’s Championship (8,000-meters) – 11:00 a.m.
Men’s Championship (6,000-meters) – 12:00 p.m.
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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