Men’s Cross Country Team Wins NCAA Division III Championship

By Jeffrey Bernstein

    The New York University men’s cross country team won its first-ever NCAA Division III National Championship, besting a crowded field at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, on Saturday, Nov. 17. Running in blustery winter conditions over the 8,000-meter course, the Violets had five finishers among the top 53, including senior Hany Abdallah, who took ninth place.

      “It was a quintessential team effort,” said junior Jesse Schneider, who finished in 21st place and earned All-America honors along with Abdallah for finishing among the top 25.

      It wasn’t until about 10 minutes after the last of the race’s 280 runners crossed the finish line that the final team scores were posted, with NYU atop that 32-team leader board.

      “We ran the best we could and I knew we had a chance, but I had no idea where we were in the final standings until our name went up on the screen,” said head coach Nick McDonough. “It was a war. A real war.”

      The Violets earned the victory on the strength of their depth. Senior Spenser Popeson was NYU’s third finisher, taking 46th place, and senior James McCarthy was next in 47th, with senior Ryan Williams not far behind at 53rd. Behind NYU in the overall standings were Haverford College, Cortland State, Calvin College, and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.           

    “You don’t know what it’s like, what you will feel when you win a national championship,” Abdallah said. “It’s weird. It was just a great surprise and an indescribable feeling.