BOSTON - Three members of the UAlbany cross country teams have been named America East All-Academic, the conference announced Tuesday.

Chris Bertola is one of 10 men honored on the AE All-Academic Team. A senior, Bertola transferred to UAlbany with a 3.87 GPA in biology. In his first season as a Great Dane, Bertola was a scoring member of the men’s team in all five races. On average, he was UAlbany’s third-best runner with one race in which he was the Great Danes’ top finisher. Hailing from Orchard Park, N.Y., he earned three top-20 overall finishes, including one top 10.

Two women, Tess Fitzmaurice and Katie Iocca, were named to the 10-person All-Academic Team. 

After earning her undergraduate degree in Human Development (3.88 GPA), Fitzmaurice transferred to Syracuse to earn her master’s degree. Recently, after transferring back to UAlbany, the Greenville, N.Y. native was honored on the All-Academic Team with a 3.97 GPA in the Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation masters program at Syracuse. In her first semester back, Fitzmaurice was, on average, the Great Danes’ leading runner. Leading UAlbany in four races, including one first-place overall finish, she never raced a result slower than the top 20 in 2024. Fitzmaurice is currently in the Special Education and Literacy II program at UAlbany.  

Now a three-time cross country All-Academic honoree, Katie Iocca recently graduated from UAlbany with a 4.00 in Secondary Education for her undergraduate degree. Currently holding a 3.94 in mathematics, she is a graduate student. The fifth-year Great Dane was, on average, the third-best runner in 2024. Finishing second on the team in the America East Championships, she added two races at third on the team and two at fourth on the team. 

To view the entirety of both the men’s and women’s cross country All-Academic teams, click here.

With the completion of the cross country season, the Great Danes will look to begin the indoor track and field season in December.

Keep up with all of the latest news, highlights, and insights on UAlbany cross country and track and field by following the teams on X and Instagram.