Men’s Cross Country placed 11th overall with a score of 340 points at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships held at Penn State.
The Bison raced 10k (6.2 miles) in State College, taking on some of the best programs on the East Coast. The field included last year’s champions Princeton (USTFCCCA #18), Villanova (#14), Georgetown (#29), Patriot League Champions Navy and hosts Penn State. The Orange and Blue looked to improve off their 12th-place finish last year and rebound after a 6th-place showing at the Patriot League Championship.
Ethan Pratt-Perez ’28 continued his standout first-year season, running 31:12.50 for 53rd overall, finishing as the top Bison runner for the 2nd straight meet. The first-year in the orange and blue moved up 20 places throughout the race, setting the tone for the Bison. Henry Didden ’26 was close behind, just two places back, running 31:13.70. Harry Marson ’25, Max Crockett ’25 and Ben Santos ’25 provided veteran experience and rounded out the rest of the top-five for the Orange and Blue placing, 64th, 79th, and 89th respectively.
The Bison’s 11th-place finish was second among Patriot League teams, as they topped American, Lehigh, Lafayette and Loyola Maryland. They also notably finished above Rutgers, a Power 4 school that recruits some of the top talent from New Jersey on a yearly basis.
Overall, it was Villanova that pulled away to win the region, with a score of 50 points. The Wildcats were led by seniors to propel them to a 30-point victory over second-place Princeton and third-place Georgetown, who both scored 80 points. A tiebreaker awarded second place and the last automatic qualifying spot to Princeton, though Georgetown would eventually get an at-large bid to the National Championship meet.
For the Orange and Blue, this was their last meet as no one qualified for the National Championship held at Wisconsin’s Thomas Zimmer Championship Course. BYU would take home the team title over Iowa State, who made a late charge to get within three points but ultimately fell short, 134-137. Arkansas would round out the podium for third with 202 points.
