In their penultimate race of the season, NYU’s men’s and women’s cross country teams placed second and third, respectively, in the NCAA Division III Niagara Region Cross Country Championships in Rochester, New York, on Saturday, Nov. 12.

Formerly ranked No. 1 SUNY Geneseo finished first on the women’s side, clinching a spot in the NCAA Division III National Championship. Despite three of seven Violet runners having their worst 6K time of the season, the women’s team finished second and set themselves up for a shot at making nationals.  

First to the line for the Violets, graduate student Grace Richardson finished ninth overall with a time of 22:50.7. Prior to the race, Richardson said that she was excited for regionals and the possibility of making it to nationals. She also emphasized how the season lived up to her expectations because she “loved training and racing with a great group of people.”

The other finishers for the women’s team were first-year Janie Cooper, first-year Daniela Sekhar, first-year Stella Gladden, sophomore Katherine Cheng, senior Leah Haley and graduate student Hannah Marin. Notably, top first-year runner Viv Kane did not compete at regionals.

 “The season has gone well, and I’m really happy with how close we’ve gotten, both at practice and outside of it,” Cheng said.

On the men’s side for the 8K, SUNY Geneseo and No. 2 Bridgeport University placed first and second. However, the Violets, who finished in third, did not have a shot at the NCAA Division III National Championship this season. 

Bouncing back from two previous difficult races, sophomore Ryan Tobin ran himself into third place with a time of 25:20.9. In preparation for regionals, Tobin noted the team’s lowered mileage, but said the intensity of workouts did not decrease. 

“Our confidence has not gone down at all going into regionals,” Tobin said. “This is what we have trained for all year, and the guys are ready.”

Finishing behind Tobin was first-year Shaurya Srivastava, first-year Andy Taylor, first-year Jeffrey Chen, sophomore Aidin Hasan, junior Nick Ankuta and senior Jon Diaz.

Since Rochester was a slow course, none of the Violet runners achieved a personal record. Regardless, they pushed themselves to their limits. While the women’s team has a chance at nationals, the men’s team has a hopeful outlook for next season. 

“I didn’t expect the college racing environment to be as vibrant as it is,” Srivastava said. “The energy was so vibrant, and it makes me excited for each and every future race during my tenure here at NYU.”

Whether or not the women’s team makes nationals is up to the selection committee, but if picked, the runners will be tested in the cold weather of Lansing, Michigan, on Nov. 19, battling for the Division III Championship.

Contact Ethan Rendon at [email protected].