Men’s Cross Country | 11/15/2025 3:42:10 PM
Nine Empire 8 teams competed at the Niagara Regional, and Russell Sage College competed at the Mideast Regional, as part of the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Regional Championships on Saturday, Nov. 16. The Niagara Regional was held at Genesee Valley Park in Rochester, NY, hosted by RIT, while the Mideast Regional was hosted by St. Lawrence University.
A total of 10 teams (one per regional) will automatically qualify for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Nov. 22. There will be 22 at-large teams selected by a committee that will be announced on Nov. 16. In addition, a total of 70 individuals will automatically qualify for the national championship. The top-seven runners not from a qualifying team will be determined the top-seven qualifiers per region. Those qualifiers will also be confirmed and announced on Nov. 16.
MEN
Empire 8 Champion SUNY Geneseo earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Championship by winning the Niagara Regional with 30 points, while Utica University placed sixth overall with 237 points, Houghton University finished seventh overall with 244 points, SUNY Brockport was eighth and Nazareth University placed ninth.
SUNY Geneseo had the three top finishers and four of the top six spots on the men’s side. Ryan Hagan was the individual race winner, finishing nearly 43 seconds ahead of runner-up, teammate Emerson Comer, completing the 8,000-meter course in 24:11.7, while Pierce Young of the Knights finished third.
A total of 13 E8 men earned All-Region honors, placing in the top-35 overall. Utica University sophomore Bennett Melita finished fifth overall in a time of 25:04.6, just under five seconds faster than sixth place finisher Collin Brown of Geneseo. Houghton’s Amos Bixler placed eighth overall with a time of 25:12.1. Melita and Bixler will join the Geneseo team at nationals, when the NCAA Championship selections are announced on Nov. 16.
Overall, Geneseo had seven All-Niagara Region selections, while Houghton had a pair. Connor Hitt (17th), Thomas Blake (18th) and James Tette (22nd) rounded out the All-Region picks for Geneseo, while Ben Allen (27th) also garnered All-Region honors for Houghton.
St. John Fisher University junior Jace Stuart (32nd), SUNY Brockport senior Aidan Mayer (33rd) and Nazareth senior Connor Jackson (35th) also earned All-Region accolades from the Empire 8.
Niagara Region Participants:
SUNY Geneseo – 1st – 29 points
Utica – 6th – 237 points
Houghton – 7th – 244 points
SUNY Brockport – 8th – 272 points
Nazareth – 9th – 288 points
St. John Fisher – 16th – 510 points
Alfred – 20th – 546 points
Hartwick – 26th – 765 points
SUNY Poly – 27th – 869 points
Mideast Regional Participant:
Russell Sage – 24th – 757 points
WOMEN
Empire 8 Champion SUNY Geneseo recorded the top E8 team finish, placing second overall at the Niagara Regional with 64 points, while SUNY Brockport was eighth with 201 points. NYU was the Niagara Region Champion with 52 points.
SUNY Geneseo senior Ann Brennan, the 2025 Empire 8 Champion, earned the Niagara Region Individual Championship, finishing nearly eight seconds ahead of the second place finisher, Janie Cooper of NYU, completing the 6,000-meter course in 21:38.2
A total of 11 E8 women earned All-Region honors, placing in the top-35 overall. Geneseo had three of the top 12 finishers and seven All-Region selections. In addition to Brennan, Sierra Doody placed 10th overall in a time of 22:10.5, while Ari Reback was right behind in 12th crossing the finish line in 22:12.8.
Noelle Linenfelser of Houghton University, the 2023 Empire 8 Champion, finished 16th overall in a time of 22:30.7. Kaitlyn Hotaling of SUNY Geneseo was 19th overall in 22:32.6, while first-year Alexa Kosier of Geneseo placed 22nd (22:42.3). The SUNY Brockport duo of first-year Salma Moumen and sophomore Ethne Degan were 27th and 28th, respectively. Marlo Townsend of Utica University placed 30th, while Annika Hurley and Jillian O’Rourke of SUNY Geneseo rounded out the All-Region selections, placing 32nd and 34th overall.
The Empire 8 results and regional split can be seen below:
Niagara Region Participants:
SUNY Geneseo – 2nd – 64 points
SUNY Brockport – 8th – 201 points
Houghton – 9th – 249 points
Nazareth – 12th – 225 points
St. John Fisher – 14th – 364 points
Utica – 15th – 424 points
Hartwick – 19th – 570 points
Alfred – 22nd – 623 points
SUNY Poly – No Team Score
Mideast Regional Participant:
Russell Sage – No Team Score
