LYNDONVILLE, Vt. (November 2, 2019) – Another year, another NCAA conference championship for the SUNY Delhi men's cross country team. Facing their first-ever North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Championships on a sunny Saturday at Northern Vermont Lyndon, the Broncos almost literally ran away with the 8K league title, as all seven runners earned all-conference, finishing in the top 14 for 25 points. Freshman Aiden Berlinski won the individual crown with a time of 28:51.4.
Delhi lived up to its number-one ranking in the NAC's Pre-Championship Coaches Poll by finishing 44 points ahead of second-place Maine Maritime on its way to its fourth consecutive conference championship. The Broncos had previously won three straight American Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) championships from 2016 to 2018.
Second-year Delhi runner Abshir Yerow took second place with a time of 29:09.3. Runners from Maine Maritime, Thomas and Husson took the next three respective spots before more Broncos came pouring in. Senior Lucas Reilly earned sixth place with a mark of 30:22.1, followed by freshman Aaron Vivlamore earning seventh at 30:42.0. Fellow freshman Aidan Cutting was Delhi's fifth finisher, taking eighth at 31:02.5, as Jack Hopkins earned 13th at 31:53.5 and Bladimir Pena 14th at 32:03.0.
"The men put themselves in strong team position right from the gun," said head coach Robb Munro. "As people started falling off the lead pack, Aiden and Abshir were the last ones standing. Reilly, Vivlamore and Cutting ran fantastic races to leave no doubt who had won the team title.Pena and Hopkins brought up the six and seven starts earning all-conference to push other teams scoring runners even further back."
Berlinski, Yerow, Reilly, and Vivlamore all received First Team All-NAC for finishing in the top eight. Cutting, Hopkins, and Pena were Second Team recipients for placing in the top 15.
Thomas finished in third with a score of 100, as Husson earned fourth with 108 points. Maine Farmington finished fifth with 141 points, and SUNY Canton tallied 145 points for sixth place. Maine Presque Isle earned 160 points for a seventh-place finish. Northern Vermont-Lyndon (193) and Northern Vermont-Johnson (255) completed the field in eighth and ninth place, respectively.
With a conference title in hand, head coach Robb Munro's men prepares for Friday's USCAA National Championships, looking to win their fourth straight national title. The 8K race will take place in Virginia Beach, Va. on Friday, Nov. 8 at 11:00 a.m.
