ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany cross country team hosts the 53rd R.K. Munsey UAlbany XC Invitational, also serving this year as the America East Pre-Conference Meet, on Friday.
Meet Info
R.K. Munsey UAlbany XC Invitational, Friday, October 18
University Cross Country Course
Open: 5K, 12:00 p.m.
Women: 5K, 1:00 p.m.
Men: 8K, 1:45 p.m.
Leading the Pack
- Hannah Reinhardt has been named America East Performer of the Week three times this season, running her streak to seven-consecutive when she has competed during an awards window
- Reinhardt's seven total weekly cross country award are tied for most all time since 2007 with New Hampshire's Elinor Purrier and Maine's Corey Conner
- Three America East schools, Binghamton, Hartford, and Stony Brook (women only) will be in attendance this week
Women's Entries
Brogan, Butterfield, Chambers, Coddington, Crady, Guilfoyle, Iocca, Keown, Leonard, Machabee, Nolan, Planavsky, Quarshie, Reinhardt, Rutt, Zitomer
Men's Entries
Athanailos, A. Beltran, F. Beltran, Garcia, Gay, Johnson, Kiptum, Menis, Perillo, Ragone, Ramdani
Last Time Out
The Great Danes visited Lehigh University for the 46th Paul Short Run two weeks ago, which the largest competitive field of the season in terms of participating runners and team. The meet also offered the women their first opportunity to race at the 6K distance before regional championships in November. After alumnus Ryan Udvadia and graduate student Cara Sherman excelled in the open races, Charlie Ragone led the men with a 52-second personal best 24:29.0, the fifth-best performance in program history. Behind Ragone, five of his teammates finished with season-best performance. The meet was highlighted by Hannah Reinhardt's third place finish in the women's race. Her time of 19:44.2 was a personal-best by 45 seconds, and a school record by 36 seconds, breaking the previous mark of 20:20.1 set in 2014 by Silvia Del Fava. Reinhardt became the first woman to break 20 minutes for 6K. Behind Reinhardt, Kaylah Quarshie and Kelly Iocca each set new personal-bests over the longer distance, while five of the women experienced their first 6K as Great Danes.
Last Time at the UAlbany XC Invitational
In 2018, Hannah Reinhardt won the individual women's title, becoming the first repeat women's champion in 33 years, and only the second repeat women's champion in the history of the meet. Cara Sherman finished in second place, marking the third and final time that season Reinhardt and Sherman swept the top-two places in the same race. The women claimed their fifth overall title in this meet, and their third in the last four years, and their point total of 19 was tied for third-best in meet history. Charlie Ragone paced the men's team, finishing second overall behind men's champion Evans Kibet from Siena. The men placed second overall as well with 39 points, six behind team champion Siena.
Team Captains
Six Great Danes were elected team captain for the 2019-20 school year ahead of the cross country season. Two women, Kiyah Owens and Hannah Reinhardt, return as captains for another year, while the first-timers include Tori Reid, and all three men's selections, Adrian Mitchell, Garfield Napier, and Christopher Perillo.
Hosting Duties
For the first time since the 2011 season, UAlbany will host the America East XC Championship meet. The championship, which takes place on November 2, will be the second of two meets held on UAlbany's home course, the first being the 52nd R.K. Munsey UAlbany XC Invitational, which will serve as this season's America East Pre-Conference Meet, on October 18.
Defending Champions
Behind individual champion Hannah Reinhardt, who was UAlbany's first-ever male or female individual XC champion, the Great Dane women won their first-ever America East team title, scoring 46 points to defeat runner-up Stony Brook, who scored 59 points. UAlbany placed four in the top 11, with Reinhardt pacing the field, followed by Cara Sherman in seventh, Holly Machabee in 10th, and Kaylah Quarshie in 11th. UAlbany's fifth and final scorer, Kelly Iocca, placed 17th.
Triple Crown
After winning the 2019 America East XC team title, the UAlbany women went on to claim team victories in the America East Indoor and Outdoor Championship meets, becoming the first women's program in conference history to win all three titles in the same academic year. Previously, the 2011-12 UAlbany men and 1988-89 Northeastern men had claimed the Triple Crown.
Next
UAlbany will host the America East XC Championships for the first time since 2011 on Saturday, November 2. Hannah Reinhardt and the women are defending individual and team champions, respectively.
