UTICA, NY - Utica University men's cross country runner Bennett Melita (Johnstown, NY/Fonda-Fultonville) is set to compete in the 2025 NCAA Division III National Championship. Melita earned his second career national qualifier via an at-large bid from the Niagara Regional. The race will take place at the Roger Milliken Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The action is set to begin at 10:00 am.

Follow Along: The NCAA is providing a video stream, available HERE, along with live results, accessible HERE.

At-Large and In Charge: Melita punched his ticket to the National Championship at the NCAA Niagara Regional last weekend. The event, hosted by RIT at Genesee Valley Park, saw Melita place 5th overall after crossing the finish line in 25:04.6. He earned the second at-large bid available at the event, as SUNY Geneseo placed each of the top three runners, followed by an NYU runner 1.9 seconds ahead of Melita. Four of his fellow Pioneer teammates placed top 70, pushing the team to a program-record 6th-place finish at Regionals.

Bennett's Baseline: The Paul Short Run was Bennett's greatest test of the season, when he finished 169th after 26:23.1. Melita responded to the lull and cut 54.4 seconds at the very next 8k, Rowan Border Battle (25:28.7, 32nd overall). Two races later, he was a conference champion in 25:34.2 and then delivered his season-best 8k at the Niagara Regional, completing the race in 25:04.6 for 5th overall, a 78.5-second improvement from the Paul Short Run and about 40 seconds faster than his early-season Rochester Yellowjacket 8k time (25:44.4, 7th overall).

Not His First Rodeo: Melita competed in the 2024 National Championship race as well, coming in 164th overall with his 25:34.0 finish time. Although it was a very competitive time in the regular season, the heightened competition pushed his finish down the board. 68 runners finished with sub-25:00 times, led by Wisconsin-Whitewater senior Christian Patzka, who claimed the Individual Championship with a finish of 24:01.6.

Up Next: The event will conclude the 2025 NCAA cross country season. Melita, alongside many other cross country teammates, will now shift their focus to the track and field season, with competition beginning in early December. Utica cross country will return to action in fall 2026.