BETHPAGE, N.Y. – Southern Connecticut State University men's cross country captured its fifth consecutive Northeast-10 Conference Championship on Saturday, November 7, at Bethpage State Park. The Owls finished first with 41 points, defeating second-place Bentley (60) and third-place Adelphi (83).

Sophomore Colton Sallum led Southern with a first-place finish in the 8K race, capturing the individual NE10 Championship with a time of 25:00.3 after finishing runner-up at last year's championship.

Freshmen Hayden Burke, Dominic Lombardo, and Breckin Burke delivered impressive performances, finishing sixth (26:10.1), ninth (26:17.5), and 12th (26:22.1), respectively. The three freshmen placed among Southern's top five runners, helping secure the team victory.

The Burke brothers also continued a family connection to Southern Connecticut, as their mother, Rebecca Haberek, competed for the Owls' distance running program during the 1990s.

Senior Dominic Tartarelli rounded out Southern's scoring five with a 13th-place finish in 26:24.3. Tartarelli's performance highlighted his development throughout his collegiate career, improving from a 109th-place finish at the NE10 Championships as a freshman to 13th place in his senior season.

Junior Joseph Lamburn followed in 17th place (26:34.4), while senior Ryan Gagne finished 25th (26:56.9). Freshman Santiago Rodriguez also competed for the Owls, placing 34th (27:29.2).

"The men packed up and followed the plan perfectly," assistant coach Brian Nill said.

Head coach John Wallin added, "SCSU operates different."

The championship marked Southern's fifth straight NE10 title and sixth overall in program history, continuing a dominant stretch for the Owls.

Southern Connecticut will compete at the NCAA Division II East Regional Championships on Saturday, November 21, looking to defend its regional title and advance to the NCAA Division II National Championships.