From NYU Athletics

The New York University men's cross country team competed at the annual Metropolitan Championships on Friday, October 7, at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, NY.

The Violets accumulated 201 total points to place seventh out of 10 teams on the 8k course. Manhattan College claimed the first-place victory with 48 points.

"We were looking to give a lot of people opportunity to make the team for the next couple of weeks," said Head Coach Erison Hurtault. "The last regular-season meet is next weekend, and then after that is championship season. There are fewer and fewer opportunities to run, so we used today to give a lot of people more of a chance to see what they can do. Running our top guys again this weekend against competition they aren't going to see didn't make much sense."

Freshman Connor Riley led the Violets on Friday by finishing in 35th place and posting a time of 28:10.9

"Connor has been out with some sickness, and he came back to be our top runner on a tough course," said Hurtault. "First 8k event at Van Cortland Park is never easy. It's a good sign as a freshman. He seems to be someone who we can look forward to really helping the team in the future."

HIGHLIGHTS:

- Sophomore Julian Marrufo finished in 49th place with a time of 29:01.7.

- Not far behind was junior Grant Allington (52nd place), clocking a time of 29:17.3.

- Freshman Jack Lillian finished in 66th with a time of 29:53.6.

- Fellow classmate Yuji Cusick took 74th in 30:27.7.