Cross country teams head into NCAA

The NYU men and women's cross country teams have both enjoyed success this season, but their true test lies ahead.

The NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship at SUNY-Geneseo, the most important meet of the year so far, will take place this weekend, and both teams seem ready to go.

So far this season, the men defended their UAA title once again and have consistently finished ahead of the competition at all their meets. The women's team established itself as a formidable contender, posting its best-ever third place finish in the UAA championships.

The men's team is determined to notch a victory and move onto the NCAA Division-III National Championship, which NYU won in 2007.

"Our goal is to win and qualify for the national championship," sophomore Jack Fitzhenry said. "The SUNY schools are our main competition, so we want to beat them."

The women's team is looking to improve on past showings at the regionals. In the past three years, the women's team has finished 17th, 25th and 10th, respectively. But this year's team seems poised to have a breakout showing and be a strong presence at the meet.

"We want to improve on last year, but we really want to place third or higher," sophomore Laura Santoski said.

Both squads have been practicing hard and preparing for the meet, but all the runners seem to agree that in many ways, the approach to this meet is just like any other.

"We're just trying to stay consistent and stick to what's been working for us all year long," sophomore women's team member Joan Kanarkiewicz said.

Still, one cannot help but ignore the magnitude of the meet. A strong performance guarantees the Violets a spot in the NCAA Division III National Championship, so the meet is quite significant.

"It's an honor to represent NYU at the meet given the school's rich history," said sophomore Ryan Boyd, who will be running in his first NCAA regional competition.

The NCAA Atlantic Region Championship takes place this Saturday, Nov. 14 at SUNY-Geneseo. If the Violets run well enough to advance, they will compete in the Division-III Nation Championship next Saturday, Nov. 21 at Baldwin-Wallace College.

Ryan Hepworth is a staff writer.