UTICA, NY - Utica University's men's and women's cross country team took a short trip to SUNY Poly to begin their 2026 season, competing in the Wildcat Short Course Invitational. Both Pioneer squads had incredible days on the 4k and 6k courses, with the women claiming a course record, the men matching a first-place finish, and both teams winning team scoring. The men and women are now slated to take another short trip next Saturday, September 12th, to compete in the Hamilton College Short Course Invitational.

The highlight of the day came from the women in the opening race. Senior Utica runner Marlo Townsend (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) broke the course record with a time of 16:26.4, shattering the previous record of 16:38, set by Oneonta's Megan Francoeur in 2023. Following Townsend was another standout Pioneer performance by junior Catherine Manna (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), who crossed the finish line in 17:53.3. Two more members of the orange and blue crossed the finish line before any opponents did, with sophomore Lacey Simmons (Vernon Center, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) and incoming graduate transfer Nicole Arnhold (Hampton, NY/Granville) finishing at 19:11.2 and 19:25.4, respectively. Freshman Tara Fobare (Sauquoit, NY/New Hartford) rounded out Utica's team scoring with a 7th-place finish and a time of 19:46.4. Utica's final runner was junior Emma Charboneau (Fultonville, NY/Fonda-Fultonville), who crossed at the 21:37.9 mark, good for 13th out of 20 total runners.

In the men's race, Utica's squad matched the women with a heavy presence inside the top finishers. The Pioneers claimed each of the first three spots, with senior Bennett Melita (Johnstown, NY/Fonda-Fultonville) winning the individual title at 19:26.1, followed by sophomore Killian Bauer (Verona, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherill) 12.6 seconds later, and senior Timothy Jeralds (Canaan, NY/Chatham Central) at 20:11.9. After one Mohawk Valley CC runner claimed fourth, Utica placed its final team-scoring runners in the 5th and 6th overall spots, with Brandon Knisely (West Winfield, NY/Mount Markham) and Forest Martin (Poland, NY/Poland Central) crossing at 21:10.7 and 21:35.9, respectively. Three of the next five runners represented the orange and blue, led by an 8th-place finish for Evan Humphrey (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) (21:51.9), a 9th-place finish for Liam Maxson (Ilion, NY/Central Valley Academy) (22:05.1), and an 11th-place finish for Ben Bellinger (22:25.7). In the 39-runner field, Utica's final three runners, junior Jack Centola (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) placed 16th after 23:29.3, freshman Exavier Garcia (Fonda, NY/Fonda-Fultonville) finished 20th after 24:14.1, and senior Nathan Sand (Beekmantown, NY/Beekmantown) placed 21st after 24:21.9.

Both squads now look ahead to next Saturday, when they compete at the Hamilton Short Course Invitational. The women are set to begin at 11:00 am, followed by the men at 11:45.