Men's Cross Country | 11/17/2024 8:40:30 PM
Both the SUNY Geneseo men's and women's cross country teams, Noelle Linenfelser of Houghton University, Bennett Melita of Utica University and SUNY Brockport student-athletes Charlie Alekson, Patrick Klinger, and Jonathan Zavala will represent the Empire 8 at the 2024 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, which will be held on Saturday, Nov. 23 from LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, IN, hosted by Rose Hulman Institute of Technology. The women’s race will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern, followed by the men’s race at noon EST.
Geneseo's teams are the first Empire 8 institutions to qualify as a team for the NCAA Championships since the women's team from Stevens accomplished the feat in 2016. The Knights will have seven men and seven women's runners compete for individual, All-American and team honors.
Charlie Wilson won the individual title at the 2024 Niagara Regional Championship on the men's side, while Penelope Greene led the way for Geneseo on the women's side with the race win at the Niagara Championships. She placed third at nationals to earn All-American honors last season.
On the men's side, Geneseo has qualified for nationals for the 21st straight season. Geneseo placed third nationally at the 2022 NCAA Championships and were national runners-up in 2016. The Geneseo women's program is headed to the NCAA Championship for the 24th straight season. Geneseo placed fifth nationally at the 2023 NCAA Championships, have recorded nine straight top-10 team finishes, five top-three finishes overall and were NCAA Division III National Champions in 2005.
In order to be eligible to participate in the championships, teams and individuals had to qualify in their respective NCAA regional competitions held on Nov. 16. Thirty-two teams were selected to participate in each championship. The top seven-person team automatically qualified from each of the 10 regions. Twenty-two additional teams were selected at-large.
Seventy individuals, the first seven student-athletes from each region who are not a part of a qualifying team, were selected to participate in each championship. Amy Regan of Stevens was the last Empire 8 Cross Country All-American, winning the individual championship in 2016.
On the women's side, Noelle Linenfelser of Houghton University hung in the chase pack for the most of the race in a tight battle for an individual qualifier for the NCAA Championships, placing 14th at regionals to qualify for the NCAA Championships, making her the first Houghton University female athlete to compete at nationals.
For the first time in program history, the Utica University men's cross country team has been granted an at-large selection to the NCAA DIII Men's Cross Country Championship.
With a program record ninth-place finish at the NCAA DIII Niagara Regional held this past weekend, Bennett Melita (Johnstown, NY/Fonda Fultonville) has been granted an at-large bid to the NCAA DIII Men's Cross Country Championship.
Brockport men's cross country team earned three national qualifiers, Jonathan Zavala, Charlie Alekson, and Patrick Klinger for the 2024 championships. Zavala ran a 25:13.9 at the NCAA Division III Niagara Regional Championships this past weekend to place tenth in the region. Zavala is now heading back to the national stage for the second year in a row. At regionals Charlie Alekson finished 15th overall in the men's 8,000 with his time of 25:34.7. In his first year at Brockport he played a huge role in the team's success and has earned the right to represent the program at nationals. Patrick Klinger rounds out the three national qualifiers for Brockport after another strong run at regionals. Klinger ran a 25:46.7 in the 8,000-meter event to place 19th overall and make the jump to the national stage.
In 2023, the Golden Eagles made history with three individual qualifiers heading to nationals for the first time in program history. In 2024, Brockport has repeated this historical feat under the guidance of Head Coach John Davis.
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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