Men’s cross country take on championships in Kentucky – The Ramapo News

Photo courtesy of Ramapo Athletics

Two members of Ramapo’s men’s cross-country team earned bids to take on the 2019 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in Louisville, Kentucky. These distance runners are sophomore Chris Andersen and junior Jason Rodriguez.

The bids were announced on Sunday, Nov. 17 by the league office, and the championship match will occur on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 10:45 a.m. The match will be held in E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park.

The first seven student-athletes from each region who are not part of a qualifying team are selected to participate in the championship. This totals to 56 individuals participating in the run.

Andersen and Rodriguez both competed at regionals in Canton, NY on Saturday, Nov. 16. Andersen led the pack as he finished the 8k race in 25:56.4 which placed him at 23rd. Rodriguez crossed the finish line second for Ramapo and 25th overall, clocking in with a time of 25:59.0.

Both runners at regionals have earned NCAA All-Region honors. 

This year proved to be a great one for Andersen as he showed much improvement compared to last year. Last year, he finished 8th overall at the 2018 NJAC Championships in 27:00.91, and he clocked in at 27:45 at the 2018 NCAA Atlantic Regionals.

Rodriguez also proved to enhance his skills when comparing his stats from last year.  He placed 33rd at the 2018 NJAC Championships with a time of 28:02.25.

Other individuals that were selected in the Atlantic Region are representing colleges such as The College of New Jersey, College at Brockport, SUNY New Paltz and New York University. Ramapo was the only college being represented in the region that has two runners.

You can support the Roadrunners running in this national championship match by watching the live stream provided online.

ddeange1@ramapo.edu