UTICA, NY - The Utica University cross country teams travel to Houghton University for the NCAA Niagara Regional Championship meet on Saturday, November 11. The men's 8k race will begin at 11 a.m., followed by the women's 6k at 12:15 p.m.
 
Follow Along: Live results will be available here through Leone Timing. Houghton will also provide live video through https://portal.stretchinternet.com/houghton/. 
 
Last Time Out: The men's and women's teams concluded their regular season at the Empire 8 Championships on Saturday, October 28 at Nazareth University. The men's team ran the 8k race finishing third with 70 points, while the women's team took on the 6k race, finishing 4th with 127 points. The men's team performed at their best when it counted most as all top five finishers for the Pioneers ran personal best times. Bennett Melita (Johnstown, NY/Fonda Fultonville) has been dominating the competition all season long and did not let up today as he became the individual men's 2023 champion. The freshman's time of 24:54 is not only a personal best but sets a new program record for the 8k race. Melita stands alone as the only runner to ever complete the race in under 25 minutes. Tobias Jeralds (Canaan, NY/Chatham) was the next-best finisher for the Pioneers finishing 12th with a time of 26:18.6. Not far behind him was Zachary Brown in 15th clocking in at 26:30.2. Anthony Leotta (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills West) was 19th with a time of 26:48.5, and Hayden Lohmann (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) placed 23rd with a time of 27:03.3.The women's team was led by Jade Dening, placing 8th running a personal best time of 22:23.2. Maria Stuhlman took 19th crossing the finish line at 23:36.7, which was also a new personal best. Gianna Welker placed 37th with a time of 24:37.8, Brianna Salvo ran a personal best time of 26:47.7 to take 55th, and Kyla Reed was just behind her at 56th crossing the finish line at 27:11.
 
Last Year At Regionals: The Utica men placed fifteenth with 460 points, while the Utica women were 16th with 483 points. The meet was hosted by the University of Rochester at Genesee Valley Park. Michael Roberts (Remsen, NY/Remsen) led the Utica men as he powered out a time of 26:49 to finish 44th on the eight kilometer course. Zachary Brown was 81st with a time of 27:49. Hayden Lohmann (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) placed 102nd as Utica's third man with a time of 28:44. Newcomers Anthony Leotta (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills West) and Tobias Jeralds (Canaan, NY/Chatham) wrapped up Utica's scoring quintet with times of 29:14 and 29:25, respectively. Tristan Vargo (East Aurora, NY/Orchard Park) ran a time of 32:02, while Andrew Wieder (Clinton, NY/Clinton) was 162nd with a time of 32:21. Gianna Welker led the Utica women with a time of 24:59 for six kilometers as she placed 63rd. Sarah Sharpe was Utica's second finisher, as the senior finished in a time of 25:57 for 89th place. Jade Dening was 103rd in 26:37, Priya Katwala placed 119th in 27:34, Kyla Reed ran a time of 28:11 to place 128th, and Meghan Sonnacchio placed 133rd with a 28:23.
 
Men's Lineup: The men's team will have seven runners at the start line for the Regional Championship. Sophomore Zachary Brown, freshman Timothy Jeralds (Denver, CO/Chatam), sophomore Tobias Jeralds (Canaan, NY/Chatham), sophomore Anthony Leotta (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills West), senior Hayden Lohmann (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham), freshman Bennett Melita (Johnstown, NY/Fonda Fultonville) and freshman Joseph Santiago (). The Pioneers are one of 26 teams that will be competing in the race.
 
Women's Lineup: The women's team will line up eight runners for the race. Junior Jade Dening, junior Priya Katawala, sophomore Kyla Reed, sophomore Brianna Salvo, sophomore Meghan Sonnacchio, freshman Maria Stuhlman, sophomore Gianna Welker and junior Emma Zacharewicz. The Pioneers will be one of 20 teams competing in the race. 
 
The Course: The two races will be held at the Houghton University Field of Dreams Cross Country Course. The course has been the host of the 2014 and 2015 NCAA National Championships, and the 2017 NCAA Division III Niagara Region Championship. 
 
What's At Stake: The winning team from each of the 10 regions, plus 22 at-large team selections selected by a committee, will qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships. In addition, the top seven runners from each region who are not on a qualifying team will also advance as individuals for next week's NCAA Championship meet. Qualifiers will be posted by 3 p.m. Sunday on NCAA.com. 
 
All-Conference Honors: Upon release, six Pioneers were named to Empire 8 All-Conference teams for their performances at the Empire 8 Championships. On the men's side, Bennett Melita (Johnstown, NY/Fonda Fultonville) will be officially named Runner of the Meet, as well as first team, thanks to his individual win. Tobias Jeralds (Canaan, NY/Chatham) will garner second team accolades while Zachary Brown and Anthony Leotta (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills West) will pick up third team honors. On the women's side, Jade Dening will be named to the second team and Maria Stuhlman will become a third team honoree in her first season of competition. 
 
Up Next: Those that qualify will advance to the NCAA Division III Championship in Carlisle, PA on Saturday, November 18.