VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (November 9, 2018) – Three consecutive team titles and their second straight sweep of the individual and team championships while taking the top four spots was what the SUNY Delhi men's cross country team accomplished Friday at the USCAA National Championships. Senior Kobie Lane won his second consecutive individual crown at 25:46.24, becoming the second-ever SUNY Delhi runner to win two national championships. The Broncos finished with six All-Americans, with four on the first team. The 8K race took place at the Virginia Beach Sports Complex.
Though they matched their success at the top of the individual leaderboard from their 2017 outing, the men improved their previous year's total by four points with 19, while besting the pack by 50 points. Broncos newcomer Abshir Yerow took second with a time of 26:11.63, while Nicholas Arnecke and Lucas Reilly were next as both marked another year on the first team. Arnecke took third, sealing his third straight year on the first team with a time of 26:35.68, while Reilly placed fourth for his second consecutive year on the first team at 26:41.15. Ted Oster earned second-team honors with a ninth-place finish at 27:48.96, as did Kevin Malen in 11th place at 27:53.97. Devon Benarick placed 26th at 28:52.48, while Jack Hopkins earned 29th at 29:08.26 to round out the field.
"The men really took care of business today, said head coach Robb Munro. "Kobie went right to the front, Lucas and Abshir found their way there fairly early and Nick really moved up all through the race. Ted and Kevin both ran really tough to earn All-American as well. It is great to see the seniors finish strong. Kobie repeated as champ and Nick bounced back from a terribly frustrating summer and fall to finish in a way he can feel good about. Those guys have been program guys and deserved a great ending to their career!"
Friday's victory capped off another successful year for the Broncos. Two weeks earlier, Delhi captured its third straight ACAA championship, with the men claiming nine of the top ten spots. Lane won the conference title after a regular season where he won USCAA Athlete of the Week twice and ACAA weekly honors three times. Yerow was also a USCAA and ACAA weekly recipient, proving to be a solid addition to the team following a successful running career at nearby Onondaga C.C. Lane improved from his winning time from last year by roughly 12 seconds. Arnecke locked up his third straight first-team nod, despite missing most of the season due to injury. Reilly improved his time from last year by roughly 18 seconds. Oster posted a remarkable improvement from last year, moving up from his number-30 placement in 2017, while shaving 53 seconds off his time. Malen jumped up two spots after taking 13th last year.
Friday's national championships showcased 16 teams and 133 runners. SUNY ESF placed second with 69 points, while St, Mary of the Woods was third with 116 points.
