SUNY COBLESKILL MENS CROSS COUNTRY RANKED EIGHTH IN USTACCA NCAA DIVISION III NIAGARA REGIONAL POLL

COBLESKILL - For the first time in program history since their move to the NCAA level of competition in 2008, the SUNY Cobleskill men’s cross country team has broken into the Top 10 of an NCAA Regional Poll. This week the Fighting Tigers are currently ranked eighth overall in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division III Niagara Region Poll for the week ending October 3, 2021. 

After posting invitational victories at: the 2021 SUNY Poly Short Course Invitational, their own 2021 Steven A. Warde Invitational and the 2021 Wildcat Invitational, the Fighting Tigers had a strong showing against an impressive inter-regional field on Saturday, including five national ranked and 16 regionally ranked programs from six different states, posting a score of 334 points to finish ninth overall in a field of 35 teams at the 40th Annual Mike Woods Invitational hosted SUNY Geneseo at the National Warplane Museum in Geneseo, N.Y. 

With the program ranked regionally for the first time in its NCAA history head coach Mitchell Tomaszkiewicz spoke about the team’s ranking and what it means moving forward. 

“I think this speaks volumes about the work ethic and commitment that the young men and women in our program have put forward over the summer and the season to date,” said Tomaszkiewicz. “This ranking represents a milestone in the history of our program at the NCAA level of competition and is something our team members can be proud of. However, rankings happen on-line and in print rather than on the grass, mud and hard pack. While they’re fun for our fans and alumni, the goal is not to simply be ranked but to contend for conference titles and successful regional championship showings. This is nice but there is still much work to do and bigger goals to aspire to this season.”  

The Fighting Tigers success this season has been driven by a strong core group of runners comprised of: freshman Eamonn Sullivan, Wappingers Falls, N.Y., Fordham Preparatory School, who has been named the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Runner-of-the-Week twice and Rookie-of-the-Week four times this year to date, senior Dillon VanDeMortel, Newark, N.Y., Newark High School, sophomore Nick Logan, Queensbury, N.Y., Queensbury High School,  senior Jared Craw, Colonie, N.Y., Colonie High School/Hudson Valley Community College,  freshman Shane Viscosi, Fultonville, N.Y., Fonda-Fultonville High School, senior Tucker Skowyra, Hardwick, Mass., Quabbin Regional High School, junior Chris Bruen, Jefferson Valley, N.Y., Lakeland High School, and senior Nick Merando, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y., Walter Panas High School.