SUNYAC to Send Four Teams and Six Individuals to the NCAA's

Posted: Nov 14, 2011

Informational Links for Championship

The NCAA Division III Men's and women's Track and Field Committee announced the team and individual qualifiers for the 2011 Division III Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships Sunday Nov. 13, and the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) was well-represented with four teams and six individuals selected.

On both the men's side and the women's side, there were 16 automatic qualifiers - determined at Saturday's regional meets - and 16 at-large selections to make up the 32-team fields. There were 56 individual qualifiers added to each field.

The SUNYAC men's team champion, SUNY Geneseo qualified automatically for the NCAA Division III championships for the ninth consecutive and 10th overall time after placing second with 95 points at the Atlantic Region championships Saturday Nov. 12 held at St. Lawrence University. The host Saints, ranked 11th in the latest USTFCCCA Division III poll, scored 89 points to win the team title. Geneseo senior Lee Berube won the individual regional title for the second year in a row after covering the eight-kilometer course in a time of 24:41, just two seconds off the course record he set at the pre-regional race on October 8.

In addition to Geneseo, the Cortland Red Dragons received an at-large bid after a fourth place finish with 112 points. Cortland's top five runners all finished in the top 35 to earn all-region honors. Freshman Nick Marcantonio crossed the line 10th in 25:32.1 over 8,000 meters.

SUNYAC will also be represented by two individual qualifiers in the men's championship. Fredonia’s Peter Francia and Plattsburgh’s Ryan Millar finished 19th and 21st, respectively in the field of 272 runners after earning All-SUNYAC at last month's conference championship.

On the women's side, SUNY Geneseo finished second with 91 points at the NCAA Atlantic Regional at St. Lawrence this afternoon to qualify for the NCAA Division III championships for the 13th straight year and 18th overall. Eleventh-ranked St. Lawrence posted 77 points to win the event. Senior Alyssa Smithpaced Geneseo with a sixth place performance in a time of 22:18 over six kilometers.

Geneseo will be joined by Plattsburgh State who received an at-large bid for the second straight year. Stefanie Braun won the individual title by four-tenths of a second to lead the Cardinals to a third-place finish. Braun claimed her second postseason individual crown finishing first in a field of 256 runners as she navigated the 6,000-meter course in 21:52.1. Jena Peacock of Rowan University followed close behind Braun, taking second place with a time of 21:52.5.

Three Cortland runners and one New Paltz athlete will compete at nationals as individual entries. The top seven runners at regionals on non-qualifying teams advance as individuals. Senior Alyson Dalton was eighth, earning all-region for the fourth straight year. Freshman Bori Tozer finished 17^th and junior Jordyn Naylon was right behind her in 18^th place.

Junior Nichole Wischoff clocked a program-record time of 22:31.0 for a 14^th place finish. Wischoff is the first runner in the history of the New Paltz program to earn a spot at the national meet.

The 2010 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships will be hosted by Wisconsin-Oshkosh in Winnecone, Wis, on Saturday, Nov. 19, at Lake Breeze Golf Course. The women's race will begin at 12 noon with the men's race to follow at 1 p.m.