SBU Sports: Men’s cross country wins third consecutive CAA Championship
Four Seawolves Earn All-CAA Honors
ELON, N.C.- With a chance to make history, the Stony Brook men’s cross country team did not disappoint on Nov. 1, defending its crown en route to a 2024 CAA Championship victory and a third consecutive CAA title. Four All-CAA performers led the Seawolves to the championship win, with all four runners placing inside the top-15.
Henry Gartner was Stony Brook’s top individual performer, finishing in fourth after blazing through the 8K course in 24:44.50. Right behind him in fifth was Collin Gilstrap, who completed the course in 24:48.30. Steven Struk ran to an eighth-place finish with a time of 25:02.50. Michael Hawkes (14th) completed the course in 25:19.90 joining Gartner, Gilstrap, and Struk as All-CAA performers.
Ethan Green just missed out on an All-CAA distinction, finishing in 17th. Wrapping up the Seawolves slate of seven top-25 finishes were Thomas Burfeind (21st) and Nick Tardugno (23rd). John Fontanez (29th), Neel Chittur (32nd), Brian Liebowitz (41st), Paul Abeln (47th), and Finn Burke (61st) rounded out Stony Brook’s competitors at the 2024 CAA Championship.
FINAL MEN’S SCORES
- Stony Brook, 48 points
- Northeastern, 49 points
- William & Mary, 54 points
- Monmouth, 110 points
- Elon, 127 points
- Hofstra, 167 points
- Charleston, 214 points
- Campbell, 248 points
- North Carolina A&T, 276 points
- UNC Wilmington, 286 points
- Hampton, 302 points
HIGHLIGHTS
- This year’s CAA Championship was the closest ever, as the Seawolves edged out Northeastern by a point.
- With today’s win, Stony Brook completes the three-peat with its third consecutive CAA Championship.
- For the second straight year, Gilstrap and Struk earned All-CAA honors.
“I’m just so proud of what this group of guys achieved today,” head coach Andy Ronan said. “During the season, we never spoke about the possibility of a three-peat; we just focused on challenging for another conference title, which is what we talk about every year in this program. It was clear before the race started that it was going to be a very tight race. So we told them to go earn it by competing every step of the way to the finish, and that is what they did.”
Championship season continues in two weeks at the 2024 NCAA Division I Northeast Regional Championships at Hopkinton Fairgrounds, New Hampshire.
For an inside look at the Seawolves cross country program, be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
