NCAA Atlantic Region Results
The New York University men's cross country team finished in third place at the NCAA Division III Atlantic Region Championship in Geneseo, NY, on Saturday.
The Violets, with 79 points, lost a close battle to SUNY Cortland (49 points) and host SUNY Geneseo (64 points). However, NYU is still expected to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA National Championship in Berea, OH, next Saturday.
"We are in one of the toughest regions in the country," said NYU head coach Nick McDonough. "There's no doubt we'll get in and be racing next week."
Of the top three teams, NYU had the top individual finisher, as University Athletic Association champion Zach Maher placed third with a time of 24:56.1 over Letchworth State Park's 8,000-meter course.
The Violets had another top-10 finisher, as well, with Calvin Lee taking ninth place in a time of 25:29.8.
Next across the finish line for the Violets, who finished second at the Atlantic Regional last year and won the race the previous two seasons, was Sebastian Schwelm. He crossed the tape in 15th place with a time of 25:35.1
The other scorers for NYU were Matt Turlip (21st place, 25:45.9) and Ryan Boyd (31st place, 26:05.8).
"Our strategy was to get out hard and get to the front," McDonough explained. "Through about 5k we were probably in first place and had 5-6 runners among the top 20. But, we just couldn't hold it together."
Hamilton College's Peter Kosgei won the race in a time of 24:40.6.
Automatic bids for the NCAA National Championship go to first and second-place finishers in the eight regional races. The 16 at-large bids will be announced on Sunday afternoon.
NYU won the 2007 NCAA National Championship and finished in 12th place last year.