The Berkeley College men's and women's cross country teams – as well as the institution's New Jersey men's soccer team – have seen their excellent 2016 seasons pay off, as all three programs will now head to Virginia Beach, Virginia to participate in the 2016 USCAA National Championships. The cross country squads will compete on Friday morning, while the New Jersey men's soccer team – which earned the No. 9 seed in the tournament – will begin play Friday afternoon.
In what was perhaps the greatest collective cross country season in the institution's history, Head Coach Adam Rosen and Associate Head Coach Michael Lincoln paced both squads over the course of five regular season meets and a Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship meet. In every meet, both gender squads had enough student-athletes to score, and the teams put forth many memorable performances to boot. Now, those student-athletes will have the opportunity to showcase their talents on a National platform.
"Our runners have been so dedicated from day number one back in the summer, and they've truly earned the privilege of competing on the National circuit in Virginia Beach," Head Coach Adam Rosen said. "They've all sacrificed so much and have worked extremely hard over the course of this season, and it's great to see these student-athletes achieving success and supporting one another. We are very eager to make this trip."
The races – scheduled for November 11 – will begin at 9:30am will the women's 6K event, followed by the men's 8K run at 10:30am.
Berkeley College's New Jersey men's soccer team finalized its regular season portion of the schedule with a 10-6 record, a mark that included key victories over opponents such as Penn State Hazleton, Keystone College, and Penn State Brandywine. The Knights learned Tuesday evening that they earned the No. 9 seed, and Berkeley College will compete in "Pool D", a pool that will include No. 4 seeded Dean College and No. 5 seeded Florida National University. Should the Knights win their pool, they will advance to Sunday's semifinal round, before potentially competing in the National championship match on Monday.
"Entering this 2016 season, this team had one goal in mind – and that was to qualify for the 2016 USCAA National Men's Soccer Tournament," Head Coach Bruno Ferreira said. "This was a very telling season for us, because we got off to such a quick start, then battled some adversity, and then finished strong. We have a great group of student-athletes who are hungry to compete and win. We will be facing two very strong teams in our pool, but we're confident that we'll be ready. It should be an amazing experience in Virginia Beach."
The Knights' contest with Dean College on November 11 will take place at 2:00pm, and Berkeley College will then face Florida National University the following day – November 12 – at 2:00pm. Should Berkeley College win that pool, the Knights will advance to the semifinal round on Sunday, November 13, where they will take on an opponent to-be-announced at 4:00pm. A potential National title match is scheduled for Monday, November 14, at 2:30pm.
For results, recaps, and information as it pertains to either of these championship events, please keep it posted to www.berkeleycollegeknights.com and/or www.theuscaa.com. Additionally, live stats and live video will be available for select soccer matches in the tournament, and accessible links can be found on either of the aforementioned websites.
