Sam May Earns Spot on All-Region III Team, Men’s Team Places 6th

SUNY Erie cross country had a productive day at the NJCAA Region 3 Championships hosted by Finger Lakes Community College.

For the second consecutive season, the women's team put two runners in the top 10 of the 5k championship race. Sonya Krezmien took 6th place in 24:03, and Mads Baird finished 8th in 24:47, both bringing home All-Region 3 honors. Plamedi Mutombo finished 32nd place in 41:12.

"The women ran smart and tough. We talked about getting into the right position before the bottom trails, and Sonya and Mads executed that to perfection. From there, they stayed focused in the middle of the race and held on after the big hill. I'm really proud of how all three women competed today."

Eleven schools were represented in the men's 8k championship race. After taking a fall in the first mile, Sam May worked his way up through the field to finish in 10th, good for a spot on the All-Region 3 team. Mark Zeder (25th place, 35:10) and Chad Kapturowski (26th, 35:45) worked together to outperform their pre-race projections. Brendan Terrill (33rd 40:01), Eugene Bush (34th 41:39), and Aidan Terrill (37th 42:28) ran gutsy races on a challenging course in wet conditions.

The Kats placed 6th in the team competition with 108 points – only one point behind 5th place Onondaga Community College (107) and five points away from 4th (Broome Community College). Hudson Valley Community College, currently ranked 9th in the national coaches' poll, won the team championship with 38 points.

"We knew it was going to be a tight team battle and that every point mattered. All six guys gave it 100%, and if a few things out of our control went differently, we could have been in the top 5. But that's cross country. Having Sam make the All-Region team is very exciting. He earned that spot with all the hard work he's put in since the summer."

The Kats have two weeks to rest and peak for the NJCAA Division III Championship in Huntsville, Alabama, on Saturday, November 11.