UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's cross country squad is set to take a short trip over the weekend to compete in the Hamilton College Short Course Tune-Up. The race, which will cover five kilometers, is set to begin at 11:45 am.
Follow Along: Runner times will be uploaded to
this link live as they complete their race.
Revisiting Rowan: The Pioneers raced last weekend in the Rowan Border Battle. The event, hosted at DREAM Park in Glassboro, NJ, Utica placed 11th as a team in a field of 35 competing schools and 327 total individual runners.
Bennett Melita (Johnstown, NY/Fonda-Fultonville) led the Pioneers with his 32nd overall finish time of 25:28.7.
Tobias Jeralds (Canaan, NY/Chatham) followed Melita with a 55th-best time of 25:51.4.
Killian Bauer (Verona, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherill) and
Timothy Jeralds (Canaan, NY/Chatham Central) each turned in sub-27:00 times, completing their races after 26:30.1 and 26:40.6, respectively.
Anthony Leotta (Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills West) completed Utica's team scoring, placing 145th overall after 27:05.4 on the course
Third Time's The Charm: Utica has already raced on Hamilton's Cross Country Course twice this season, once on September 13th during the Hamilton Short Course Invitational, and two weekends ago during the Hamilton Invitational on October 11th. The Pioneers placed 4th in the team scoring of both events.
In the Short Course Invitational, a five-kilometer race, Melita led Utica with a 7th overall finish time of 15:28.3, good enough for a 4:59 mile pace.
Tobias Jeralds (Canaan, NY/Chatham) followed with another sub-16:00 finish, turning in a 19th-best 15:58.8 finish time. At the Hamilton Invitational, an eight-kilometer race,
Joseph Santiago (Amsterdam, NY/Amsterdam) and
Ben Bellinger (Sherrill, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) had strong races. The two Pioneers placed 29th and 31st overall to lead Utica with their times of 28:34.5 and 28:50.0.
Looking Ahead: This Hamilton event will conclude the regular season for the 2025 cross country team. Their next event will be next weekend, the Empire 8 Championships. The E8 will have its event hosted by St. John Fisher University in Rochester, with races set to begin at 10:00 am. If the Pioneers can compete strongly there, the NCAA Regional Event will be on November 15th, again in Rochester, but this time hosted by the University of Rochester. Finally, if a Utica athlete can obtain a qualifier, the NCAA National Championship will be held in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on November 22nd.
