COURSE: Van Cortlandt Park - Bronx, N.Y.
                Men: 8k; Women: 5k
 
FINISH: 
                Men: 4th - 110 points - out of 8 teams
                Women: 4th - 100 points - out of 8 teams
 
SHORT STORY: Jed Elmbarki and Tess Fitzmaurice led their respective teams with a 15ht-place finish on the way to a fourth-place team finish for both the men and women at the Br. John "Paddy" Doyle Meet of Champions, Friday morning.
 
KEY NOTES

• At a race location that is often run on in postseason competition, both the men and the women finished in the top half of the team scores for the event.
• Representing the women's team, graduate student Tess Fitzmaurice and junior Skyler Smith led the team with two top-20 finishes for the second consecutive race.
• Transfer Jed Elmbarki led the men's team with a 15th-place finish.
• Four of the UAlbany scorers on the men's team are new Great Danes with just one being a freshman (Christopher Jernigan).
• The men's scoring gap was 1:39.2 while the women's was 38.7 seconds.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The men's team raced first on Friday morning at Iona's Meet of Champions over at the Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, N.Y. 
• Junior Jed Elmbarki finished as the top scorer for the men's cross country team. Placing 15th overall, he covered the distance in 26:59.5.
• Graduate student Tom Ragone finished next for the Great Danes placing 20th place in 27:21.0. He was followed by senior Chris Bertola in 27th in 27:41.1 and Christopher Jernigan in 34th in 28:25.4.  
• Senior Jared Rogalski rounded out the scoring runners with a 38th-place finish in 28:38.7. Sophomore Isaac Graber placed just outside of the scorers in 28:42.1 for 39th.
• In the women's cross country race, Tess Fitzmaurice finished 15th place in the 5k with a time of 19:00.1. 
• Skylar Smith was the second finisher for the women's team getting 19th place with a time of 19:07.6. 
• Senior Katie Iocca rounded out the top three UAlbany runners in 36th place (20:00.1). She was followed by junior Alondra Cruz-Delgado (37th; 20:07.5) and senior transfer Sophia Bisognano (43rd; 20:38.8). 

 
NEXT: After one week off, the Great Danes will prepare for a local race - the RPI Invitational (Sept. 27).
 
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.