From NYU Athletics
The New York University men's cross country team traveled upstate to Houghton, NY, on Saturday, November 11, to compete in the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship.
Attempting to repeat last year's success and qualify for the NCAA National Championship, the Violets secured fifth place out of 41 teams with a score of 168 over the 8K course.
SUNY Geneseo (61 points) and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (98 points), finished first and second to secure automatic bids. The NCAA gives automatic bids to the top two teams of every region, while 16 additional squads receive at-large bids. Last year, four Atlantic Region squads earned at-large bids to the NCAA's.
In addition, 56 runners who do not compete for automatic qualifying teams are also selected as individuals.
"I'm optimistic about their chances," said Head Coach Erison Hurtault. "We made a good case this year that we deserve an at-large bid. I am especially proud of the effort they put out today."
NYU's top performer on Saturday was San Diego, CA, native Neil Saddler, who produced a fifth-place finish. The senior captain recorded a time of 24:47.6. Following behind for the Violets in 12th place was junior Brandon Shirazi. The Manhattan Beach, CA, native produced a time of 25:04.4.
Both runners are in the mix to qualify as individuals if the Violets are not selected as a team.
"Saddler is showing again that he should be one of those guys who has the potential to be an All-American," said Hurtault. "Brandon Shirazi has made amazing strides this year. He's on his way .There's no telling what he will do next year."
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:
- Senior captain Robert DeSisto finished in 32nd place with a time of 25:34.5.
- Seniors Max Mudd and Karn Setya took 53rd and 66th, respectively, posting times of 25:52.5 and 25:59.6.
- Rounding out the Violet competitors were senior Jordan Reyes and sophomore Ben Karam. The pair took 71st (26:05.8) and 117th (26:41.2), respectively.
- Overall, 42 teams and 290 runners competed.
NYU will now have to play the waiting game until Sunday afternoon to find out if the team or any of its runners will be selected to compete on Saturday, November 18, in Elsah, IL, at the NCAA Championship.