The Oswego State men’s and women’s cross country teams arrived in Plattsburgh State on Saturday, Nov. 1 to compete in the SUNYAC championships.

The Lakers seized three of the top five spots in the women’s 6K. Hannah Reichard came in second place with a time of 21:40.9, trailing SUNY Cortland’s Melissa Innocent by just one tenths of a second. With her finishing time, Reichard set a new all-time program record in the event; one that was previously held by herself, when she cemented a time of 21:54.4 at the Houghton Invite earlier this year, on Oct. 11.

Kyra Pellegrino finished in third place, with a time of 22:01.6, while Elena Gaffney, who had once held the program’s all-time 6k record earlier this year, rounded out the top five at 22:26.4. The Lakers received further assistance in the name of depth, from Angelina Buttigieg, who finished within the top 70 at 27:26.6, along with Grace Stevens and Julay Mustafa, as they turned in times of 27:59.5 and 28:01.2, respectively.

The steady individual efforts helped the Lakers in attaining 114 points, which made for a third place finish. They trailed SUNY Oneonta, who blazed to a second place finish with 79 points, while Cortland, who was aided with four top-15 finishers, excelled in first place with 49 points.

The aforementioned Melissa Innocent, who has already earned a plethora of accolades in just three years with the team, including the 2024 SUNYAC Runner of the Year Award, jumpstarted the Red Dragons’ fiery attack. Natalia Sweat was the first to finish for Oneonta, in a time of 22:47.5, while the squads’ depth proved consistent, as they turned in five top-20 finishers.

The Lakers saw their first finisher of the men’s 8K race cross in 35th place, as Noah Melita brought in a time of 28:08.5. Jeffrey Simmons, who is in his final year with the team, finished within the same minute, at 28:16.1, to place 40th, while Thomas (TJ) Bowes met his fate a minute later, finishing in 29:10.6, placing within the top 60.

Aidan Hafer rounded things out, with a finishing time of 29:58.8, crossing the line at exactly a second before Miles Thompson (29:59.8). The Lakers, who put up 235 points as a team, found themselves in ninth place in the 8k event at the end of the day. Cortland displayed their depth in a first-place finish with 60 points, while Fredonia put on a show, as Stephen Hallberg, who finished first overall in the event with a time of 26:06.8, led the Blue Devils to a second-place finish. New Paltz followed with 81 points, giving them a solid third place finish.

On account of their standout performances over the weekend, Reichard, Gaffney and Pellegrino were named First-Team All Conference. Moreover, Gaffney took home the ‘SUNYAC Elite 20’, an award that honors a student athlete who has achieved the peak of competition at the conference championship level in their respective sport, while also reaching the highest academic standard among peers.

“She is the heart and soul of this team,” head coach Juan Martinez said. “The second that Elena wore the Oswego Lakers jersey, she changed the program for the better. Just in her second season, she, along with her teammates, have led the team to their best cross country season in years.”

The Lakers hit the road to Rochester for the Niagara Region Cross Country Championships, which take place on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 11 a.m.