Men's Cross Country | 10/31/2026 1:00:59 PM
UTICA, NY – SUNY Geneseo, ranked third in the latest NCAA Division III Cross Country Division III national poll, won its third straight league title, as the Knights won the team crown at the 2026 Empire 8 Men’s Cross Country Championship at SUNY Poly Cross Country Course hosted by SUNY Poly on Saturday, Oct. 31. SUNY Geneseo senior Collin Brown won the, recording a time of 25:10.1 over the 8,000-meter course.
The Knights had the first, third, fifth, seventh and eighth place finishers and 12 of the first 19 runners to cross the finish line to win the team title with a score of 24 points to claim its 12th straight league title (nine SUNYAC, three E8). Houghton University had five of the top-25 finishers to earn runner-up honors with a score of 81 points, while SUNY Brockport was third with 86 points. Utica University had two of the top four finishers overall, as they placed fourth as a team with 99 points. Nazareth University finished fifth with 113 points and Alfred University rounded out the first half of the team scoring.
Brown took the lead around the midway point of the race and held off Utica University senior Bennett Melita by just over five seconds as Melita went in 25:15.8. Melita was looking to earn his third Empire 8 Cross Country Individual title, as he previously won in 2023 and 2025.
Jake Gaudette of Geneseo placed third in 25:32.0, while Utica sophomore Killian Bauer was fourth in 25:33.8. Ian Zehnder of Geneseo rounded out the top-five. Jace Stuart of SUNY Brockport, Ethan Becker and Henry Nilsen of Geneseo and Brady Ruediger of Brockport earned top-nine finishes to garner All-Empire 8 first team accolades.
The All-Conference selections will be announced by the league in November. Runners who finished first through ninth will be All-E8 first team selections, while runners who finished 10-18 are second team selections and the 19th-27th place finishers will be third team selections.
Runners will be action at 12 p.m. on Saturday, November 14 at the NCAA Atlantic Region Championships from the SUNY Fredonia Campus Course in Fredonia, NY, hosted by SUNY Fredonia.
2026 Empire 8 Men's Cross Country Championship Results
SUNY Geneseo – 24 (Team Champion)
Houghton – 81
SUNY Brockport – 86
Utica – 99
Nazareth – 113
Alfred – 199
St. John Fisher – 201
Hartwick – 262
Russell Sage – 267
SUNY Poly – 301
Keuka – 302
2026 Empire 8 Men's Cross Country Individual Champion/Most Outstanding Runner
Collin Brown, Sr., SUNY Geneseo - 25:10.1
2026 Empire 8 Men's Cross Country Torchbearer Award Winner
Ethan Becker, Jr., SUNY Geneseo – 3.79 GPA (Physics and Adolescent Education major)