The Stony Brook University men’s cross country team brought home the first-ever Colonial Athletic Association Championship in school history on Oct. 28 after edging out Northeastern University by eight total points in the CAA Championship 8K. This marks the fifth championship in program history for the squad, as Long Island’s team collected four titles in their previous stint in the America East.
Stony Brook had a total of five student-athletes finish within the top-10 and six Seawolves earned All-CAA Team recognition for their efforts. The squad has now finished in the top-10 in their past 20 consecutive races.
Graduates Carlos Santos Jr. and Robert Becker led the relentless pursuit by the Seawolves, as the New York natives earned a fourth and fifth-place finish, respectively. Santos finished the race at 24:31.30 and Becker came in right behind at 24:38.80. Both Becker and Santos finished with All-Conference honors with their performances this morning.
Seniors Evan Brennan, Shane Henderson and graduate Aiden Smyth produced tremendous performances by placing sixth, seventh, and ninth-overall to be recognized on the All-CAA team. Brennan crossed the finish line at 24:46.90 and Henderson finished shortly after at 24:51.30. Smyth rounded out the top-10 with a final time of 25:02.80.
Graduate Conor Malanaphy and sophomore Michael Fama finished in 12th and 17th-place, which ultimately helped the Seawolves earn crucial points to capture the historic CAA victory. Malanaphy was the sixth and final Stony Brook student-athlete to earn a spot on the All-CAA team after their performance at the championship race.
Stony Brook finished with 31 total points for the victory, with Northeastern finishing in second-place with 39 points and William & Mary wrapping up the top-three with 111 points.
“Can’t say enough about this group of young men. They handled what I felt was a pressure-filled day with so much determination and maturity. On their shoulders they had their own expectations, the expectations of the program and the department to win the first CAA conference title. They competed against a very good Northeastern team and fought all the way to the line to achieve the win. A very special performance by a special group of young men,” said head coach Andy Ronan.
“There aren’t enough words to describe how special this group is. The amount of work every single person in our locker room puts in everyday, our preparation for practice, and how we always want to help the program move forward is huge. I believe that their has never been a more committed Stony Brook team than us. That is a huge pillar for our success as a whole and we showed that today,” said Carlos Santos Jr.
“We left our hard work and our commitment out on the course. This being our first Colonial Athletic Association title in Stony Brook history means a lot to us because this is what we knew we were capable of and we all had one common goal. We run for each other, we run for Noah, and we run to win. We set the tone for the younger guys on our team and for future generations to come, to keep helping the program,” added Santos Jr.
“It’s a commitment from every single guy in the locker room — not just the ones racing. We all are pushing each other to be the best we can be and to ultimately come out on top every single race. This is one of the hardest working and most committed groups to come through this program, which showed today and will continue to show through performances. In addition, the guys graduating this year wanted to get another win for Noah Farrelly, we wouldn’t be the team we are without our brother looking over us,” said Robert Becker.
The team will return to action when it competes at the NCAA Regionals in Van Cortlandt Park on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m.
