NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Southern Connecticut men's and women's cross country will be competing in the Northeast-10 Cross Country Championships on Sunday, Oct. 22. The women will race at 11:00 a.m., while the men will race at 12:15 p.m. at Stanley Park in Westfield, Massachusetts.


 
At the 2022 NE10 Championships, the women finished fourth out of 13 teams. With this year's championship, they are competing to win their first conference title.
 
The Owls are going into Sunday with momentum as the number one ranked team in the USTFCCCA East Region. In addition, the Owls have had strong performances at their previous two races, at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational and at the Lewis Crossover Invitational.
 
At the UMass Dartmouth, Southern came in fourth out of 16 teams. Briana Grecco finished first for the Owls and 18^th overall with a time of 18:31.52. Megan Whitnell was the second Owl runner to cross the finish line and recorded a time of 18:45.48. PJ Dauphinais finished with a time of 18:55.51 as Courtney Henchcliffe crossed the finish line directly behind her with a time of 18:56.45. Abigail Bajorek finished with a time of 19:47.90 and Sarah Johnson crossed the finish line for the Owls with a time of 22:16.07.
 
At the Lewis Crossover Invitational, Southern came in 22^nd out of 33 teams. Briana Greco led the Owls with a time of 22:51.4 while Courtney Henchcliffe finished close behind at 23:07.6. Megan Whitnell was the Owls' third finisher at 23:22.9 followed by Emilie Noreika at 23:59.4.
 
Sophomore Abigail Bajorek emphasized the excitement and togetherness that the team has heading into the NE10 Championship on Sunday.
 
"We have a very tight group, and we are excited for each other," Bajorek said. "And we have never performed so well; it's high stakes but we are looking good."
 
USTFCCCA Week-By-Week Rankings 
East Region for SCSU Women's Cross Country
Preseason: 4th
Week 1: 5th
Week 2: 2nd
Week 3: 2nd
Week 4: 2nd
Week 5: 1st
 
At the 2022 NE10 Championships, the men finished 1^st out of 13 teams for the second time in the Northeast-10 Conference. After two solid performances at the Lewis Crossover Invitational and the James Earley Invitational, the Owls look to defend their title on Sunday.
 
At the Lewis Crossover Inviational, the team finished 24^th out of 31 teams as William Lamburn led the Owls with a time of 25:16.2. Jeremy Rivera was the Owls second finisher at 25:47.0 followed by Sean Barkasy at 25:47.8 and Sophonias Dires at 26:03.2. Jonathan Volpe was close behind at 26:06.5, followed by Luca Cazzaniga at 26:16.3 and Owen Gagne at 26:29.0.
 
At the James Earley Invitational, the team finished 12^th out of 24 teams as Nathanael Huebner finished 34^th out of 202 runners with a time of 26:48.87 while Matt Speight finished 45^th at 27:06.32. Dylan Horkey crossed at 28:08.69 while Shea Kenney clocked in at 28:21.26.
 
Sophomore Nathanael Huebner discussed the momentum that the team is feeling from last year, going into NE10 Championships on Sunday.
 
"I think this year we are trying to build off the momentum that we had last year," Huebner said. "All of the guys are very close as a team and we push each other to do our best at the race. Ultimately, we are trying to get it done and bring it home to Southern, that's the goal."
 
USTFCCCA Week-By-Week Rankings
East Region for SCSU Men's Cross Country
Preseason: 1st
Week 1: 1st
Week 2: 3rd
Week 3: 3rd
Week 4: 2nd
Week 5: 3^rd
 
Coach Nill spoke on the exciting opportunity that the men and women have at the NE10 Championships.
 
"It would be really nice for both teams to walk away with a victory," Nill said. "Both groups have been progressing well this year in the right direction, so we must make sure that we do the little stuff like following the race plan as that will set us up for success."
 
For more information on the NE10 Cross Country Championships:
https://ne10.prestosports.com/sports/xc/championships/2023-24_Tournament/index
 
Link for NE10 Cross Country Championships Live Results:
https://live.pctiming.com/meets/28307