The New York University men's cross country team turned in another sterling season in 2009, taking home a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championship.
The 2007 national champions once again finished among the nation's elite thanks to All-American performances by senior Zach Maher and junior Sebastian Schwelm, who finished 15th and 30th respectively, at nationals. It was the second time Maher earned All-American status, as he finished 34th nationally in 2008.
“Our performance today continues to show how strong our program has become and where it remains today,” said NYU head coach Nick McDonough after the national championship meet. “We've now had different sets of runners called up to the podium over the years. That says it all about the program.”
Also scoring for the Violets at the NCAA Championship were junior Matt Turlip (38th), senior Calvin Lee (82nd), and sophomore Ryan Boyd (131st).
It was the third top-four national finish for the Violets in the past four years. Prior to qualifying for the NCAA Championship, NYU finished third at the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship. It marked the seventh straight year that NYU finished third or better.
The Violets also won the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship in 2009, their fourth straight victory at that competition. Maher won the UAA individual title with a time of 26:06.72. Also finishing in the top 10 at the UAA were Turlip (5th), Schwelm (9th) and Lee (10th). For their efforts in guiding the team, McDonough and his assistant coaches, James McCarthy and Jon Phillips, were named UAA Coaching Staff of the Year.
Other major contributors to the team in 2009 were senior Robert Joynt, sophomores Jack Fitzhenry and Andrew Zitek, and freshmen Kevin Bonilla and James Patterson.
In addition to their exploits on the course, team members were also recognized for their stellar work in the classroom. Maher, Lee, Schwelm, and Boyd earned Division III Cross Country All-Academic honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, while a total of 10 Violets earned UAA Fall Sport All-Academic honors.
