University of Albany Men's Cross Country Places Third, Women Finish Sixth at 43rd UAlbany Invitational - UAlbany Sports 2009

Albany, N.Y. - Freshman Alex Leuchanka and sophomore Ada Lauterbach led the UAlbany men's and women's cross country squads to third and sixth-place finishes, respectively, among 24 scoring teams at the 43rd UAlbany Invitational held on a campus course on Saturday, Oct. 17.

Marist, ranked 12th in the latest USTFCCCA Division I Northeast Region poll, won the men's team championship over the Rochester Institute of Technology. Plattsburgh State's Mike Heymann claimed the individual title for navigating the 8,000-meter course in 24:32.6, which was nine seconds shy of the meet record.

Leuchanka placed fifth among 189 runners in a time of 24:59.9 to lead UAlbany, which had five underclassmen factor into the team's 91 points. The mark was a career best and a 27-second improvement from his time at the George Mason Invitational two weeks ago. Redshirt freshman Paul Lagno placed second on the squad and 10th in the field in 25:24, dropping his best 8k time by 47 seconds. He was followed by freshman Craig Weiss, who was 19th in 25:37. Rounding out the top five for the Great Danes, who improved on their fifth-place team finish at last year's meet, were freshman Sean Halpin, who was 27th in 25:44.6, and sophomore Chris Manico, who finished 30th in 25:46.3.

Middlebury, a Division III program which was ranked seventh nationally by the USTFCCCA, ran away with the women's team title over Marist. Colgate's Elise DeRoo crossed the tape first in 17:28.7 to win the individual championship.

Lauterbach finished 10th among 193 competitors in 18:05.6, dropping her best 5,000-meter course time by over one minute, to pace the UAlbany women. Freshman Miranda McConnell finished second on the squad for the third straight meet in 18:18.4, which was good for 16th overall. Junior Jenn Pierson (26th, 18:32.2), freshman Mikala Anson (54th, 18:53.8) and classmate Melissa Del Rosario (66th, 19:05.7) completed the team's top five.

In addition to the championship races, several other Great Danes competed in the Men's Purple 8k Race and the Women's Gold 5k race. Cory Greczyn's seventh-place finish in 26:42.3 led the men, while Maureen Nweke paced the women for placing 25th in 20:07.4.

The Great Dane harriers will begin their championship portion of the schedule when they travel to compete at the America East Conference Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31. Vermont will host the event at the Catamount Family Center in Williston, Vt.

R.K. Munsey Men's Championship Team Standings (8k)
1. Marist 47 points; 2. RIT 73 points; 3. UAlbany 91 points; 4. Sacred Heart 147 points; 5. Plattsburgh State 161 points; 6. Binghamton 196 points; 7. Middlebury 210 points; 8. Colgate 243 points; 9. Brandeis 277 points; 10. Harvard 294 points; 11. Canisius 319 points; 12. Springfield 374 points; 13. UMass-Dartmouth 377 points; 14. Long Island 398 points; 15. Niagara 405 points; 16. Bryant 408 points; 17. Vassar 421points; 18. SUNY Delhi 438 points; 19. St. Francis, N.Y. 535 points; 20. Siena 554 points; 21. SUNY New Paltz 580 points; 22. Dowling 681 points; 23. Keystone 689 points; 24. St. Bonaventure 698 points.

Individual Champion: Mike Heymann, Plattsburgh State, 24:32.6.
UAlbany Results: 5. Alex Leuchanka 24:59.9; 10. Paul Lagno 25:24.3; 19. Craig Weiss 25:37.0; 27. Sean Halpin 25:44.6; 30. Chris Manico 25:46.3; 52. David Rothman 26:01; 87. Ethan Clary 26:28.2; 97. John Moore 26:36.8; 99. Jack Kelley 26:39.8.

Bobbi Palma Women's Championship (5k)
1. Middlebury 88 points; 2. Marist 109 points; 3. Sacred Heart 139 points; 4. Massachusetts 141 points; 5. Colgate 143 points; 6. UAlbany 167 points; 7. Canisius 171 points; 8. Brandeis 212 points; 9. Binghamton 228 points; 10. Harvard 287 points; 11. Springfield 318 points; 12. RIT 334 points; 13. Plattsburgh State 340 points; 14. Bryant 397 points; 15. NYIT 403 points; 16. SUNY New Paltz 459 points; 17. Siena 524 points; 18. Niagara 534 points; St. Francis, N.Y. 572 points; 20. UMass-Dartmouth 577 points; 21. Long Island 577 points; 22. St. Thomas Aquinas 655 points; 23. St. Bonaventure 691 points; 24. Dowling 706 points.

Individual Champion: Elise DeRoo, Colgate, 17:28.7.

UAlbany Results: 10. Ada Lauterbach 18:05.6; 16. Miranda McConnell 18:18.4; 26. Jenn Pierson 18:32.2; 54. Mikala Anson 18:53.8; 66. Melissa Del Rosario 19:05.7; 95. Emily Finnegan 19:45.4; 110. Roxanne Wegman 20:08.5.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information