MARCY, N.Y. – Coming off their NEAC Championship-winning season of a year ago, the SUNYIT Men's Cross Country Team turned in a solid performance in its opening race on Saturday, finishing in 5th place at the SUNYIT Short Course Invitational.
The weather was excellent from a spectator's standpoint, with blue skies and temperatures nearing the 80s. For the athletes it was no doubt toasty, but the runners seemed prepared for it.
Team captain and senior Cody Russell (Fonda, N.Y. / Fonda) led the way as the top finisher for the Wildcats, coming in 13th place overall with a time of 20 minutes and 49 seconds on the 6-kilometer short course.
Following Russell was freshman Greg Bogdan, who came in 19th place with a time of 21:02. The rookies came up big for the Wildcats, as the entire scoring five for SUNYIT save Russell consisted of freshmen. Behind Bogdan were Oliver Crain in 32nd place (21:40), Hunter Marshall in 36th place (21:50), and Andrew Jeselson in 50th (23:11).
The men's race was won by SUNY Oswego, with the Lakers sweeping the top 3 individual spots. Runner-up belonged to SUNY Oneonta, who trailed Oswego's 30 points with 51.
The Wildcats will hit the road next as they travel to SUNY Cobleskill this Saturday, September 6th. SUNYIT will have a chance to overtake their NEAC rival, as the Fighting Tigers finished just ahead of the Wildcats in this weekend's race, taking home 4th place.
