Melita places first as Lakers put on strong showing at SUNYAC championships
Powered by a first-place finish from Noah Melita, the menโs and womenโs Oswego State cross country teams put on impressive showings at the SUNYAC championships on Saturday, Oct. 31.
Melita used a time of 25:51 to take the crown in the menโs 8K, averaging a strong mile time of 5:12 to score one point for the Lakers. Hunter Doolittle (No. 65) and Evan Young (No. 70) were the next two closest members of the team to finish the event, crossing the line at 29:32.9 and 29:50.4, respectively.
On the womenโs side, Kyra Pellegrino, Elena Gaffney and Hannah Reichard all finished within the top 10 of the 6k to propel the team to a second-place finish. Pellegrino, who placed first overall in the womenโs 4k in the Lakersโ home invitational on Sept. 5, scored four points with a fourth-place finish (22:29.5).
Elena Gaffney, who has placed within the top five of half of her events this season, added five points with a fifth-place finish at 22:44.3. Reichard scored 10 points with a 10th-place finish at 23:25.2, while Jessica Torrey enhanced the teamโs efforts by placing 14th at 23:44.5.
The women concluded the day with 48 total points, trailing just behind SUNY Cortland (35), while SUNY Oneonta (68), Plattsburgh State (100) and Buffalo State (159) rounded out the top five. Alternatively, the men finished in ninth while Cortland used a 40-point showing to rank at the top, well above second-place SUNY Oneonta.
Oswego will now receive a two-week break as they await the Niagara Region Championships on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 11 a.m.
