The Berkeley College men's and women's cross country teams competed in the 2016 Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship meets yesterday, and all of the institution's student-athletes put forth hearty efforts at the Hudson Valley Sportsdome in Milton, NY. The Knights' men's squad placed fourth amongst seven participating schools, while the women's team scored and finished fifth amongst four other opposing institutions. Following the races, Head Coach Adam Rosen gave his thoughts on his student-athletes' efforts.
"These runners – as they always do – put forth a terrific effort," Rosen said. "This was a very tough course, but these student-athletes were able to handle that adversity and truly exemplified determination and grit, and for that I am very proud. This program saw a tremendous amount of consistency from so many of these runners during this 2016 campaign, and I truly believe the foundation is here for this program to continue to be successful. We're all looking forward to competing on the National stage in Virginia Beach on November 11."
Berkeley College standout runner Anthony Argueta finished in fourth place overall in the men's 8K race, as he crossed the finish line at 28:56. In addition to being the Knights' top finisher on the day, Argueta also learned following the race that he was tabbed as the conference's "Rookie of the Year", a distinction that was well-earned following Argueta's domination on numerous courses throughout the season.
The Knights' second male finisher was Alfred Andrade – another freshman – as he clocked in at 35:10 – a time good for 19th place overall. Stanley Jeanty finished a short time later – as he crossed the line at 38:52 – a time good for 25th overall. Aaron Griffith (39:56 – 28th overall), Albert Jordan (40:54 – 33rd overall), Wilfredy Moya Arenas (41:33, 35th overall), and Colin Burke (46:33, 41st overall) rounded out things for the Knights.
On the women's side, the Knights' Mira Brodin was the team's top finisher for Berkeley, as she came in 19th place overall with a time of 26:00 in the women's 5K event. Brodin also learned that she was tabbed to the All-Conference team following the event.
Marilyn Contreras and Amanda Ekornes finished consecutively at 27th and 28th overall with times of 30:21 and 31:10, respectively. Additionally, Melissa Ramirez came in 31st place with a time of 32:22, and Kimberly Acevedo rounded out things for the Knights with a 33rd place finish, as she crossed the finish line at 35:55.
SUNY-ESF and Albany Pharmacy repeated as men's and women's cross country team champions respectively, and Albany Pharmacy's Jessica Monzyk repeated as the women's overall champion, completing the course in 21:34. SUNY-ESF's Michael Perrson was crowned men's overall champion with a time of 21:34.
The Berkeley College men's and women's cross country teams will now have a golden opportunity to compete on the National stage, as both of the Knights' teams will participate in the 2016 USCAA National Cross Country championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Friday, November 11. Keep it posted to www.berkeleycollegeknights.com for all the latest information on this, including race times, results, and more.
