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2025 Liberty League Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships preview

Men's Cross Country

Cross Country teams start postseason with races at Liberty League Championships

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Championship season begins this weekend for the RIT men's and women's cross country teams. The Tigers will compete at the Liberty League Championships, hosted by Clarkson, on Saturday (Nov. 1).

The men's race is scheduled for 11:00 a.m., followed by the women's race at 12:00 p.m. 

FOLLOW LIVE: WATCH | LIVE RESULTS



WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
  • The Tigers finished in fifth place out of nine teams at last year's Liberty League Championship, with former senior Sierra Danieu leading the team with an 11th-place finish.  
  • As a team, RIT has finished no worse than fifth place in any of its five meets this season. The Tigers took second place on two occasions, first at the Tom Balon Alumni Classic to open the season and at the Highlander Invitational on Oct. 11.
  • Individually, junior Kathryn Arbegast has been the top performer for the Tigers this season, with three second-place finishes. Arbegast also took third place at the Yellowjacket Invitational and fifth at the Oberlin Inter-Regional Rumble.
  • Fellow juniors Therese Georiga and Rachel Ladd, and first-year Juliana Cavanaugh have been key performers this season. Georgia has two top-10 finishes, while Ladd and Cavanaugh have combined for five top-25 finishes this season.
  • St. Lawrence has won a conference-best 16 titles, while Vassar is the defending champion, having claimed the past two titles.
 
Projected Lineup
Kathryn Arbegast
Therese Georgia
Rachael Ladd
Juliana Cavanaugh
Abby Thomas
Sydney Borofsky
Valerie Gilbert
Jacqueline Gill
Micah Gordley
Jade Kimmel
Abby Nautel
Victoria Raghubar
Eva Reilly
Abby Thomas
Corina Zheng
 


MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
  • In last year's Liberty League Championship race, RIT finished fourth out of nine teams. Derick Koen led the Tigers, crossing the finish line in eighth place.
  • The Tigers have finished no worse than third place in all five races this season, including their fourth-straight Highlander Invitational win on Oct. 11. RIT finished second at the Tom Balon Alumni Classic, Yellowjacket Invitational, and the Oberlin Inter-Regional Rumble. RIT also took third place at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational.
  • Koen, a senior, has run all five races this season, winning the Highlander Invitational and taking second place on two occasions.  
  • Junior Jackson Burger has finished second for RIT in all five races and has earned top-10 finishes four times.
  • Only two programs have ever won the Liberty League title. St. Lawrence won the first 21 championships (1995-2015) with RPI having won the last eight (2016-2019, 2021-2024).

Projected Lineup
Derick Koen
Jackson Burger
Luca Strangis
Sebastian Montalvo
Spencer Buff
Evan Owens
Brandon Blandino
Nate Flaherty
Matthew Califf
Branden McColm
Calvin Barrett
Benicio Benzan
Rhett Breslawski
 

Players Mentioned

Sierra Danieu

Sierra Danieu

5' 2"
Senior
Benicio Benzan

Benicio Benzan

6' 0"
Sophomore
Brandon Blandino

Brandon Blandino

6' 1"
Sophomore
Spencer Buff

Spencer Buff

5' 11"
Sophomore
Jackson Burger

Jackson Burger

6' 2"
Junior
Nate Flaherty

Nate Flaherty

6' 2"
Sophomore
Derick Koen

Derick Koen

6' 0"
Senior
Branden McColm

Branden McColm

6' 5"
Junior
Evan Owens

Evan Owens

5' 6"
Senior
Rhett Breslawski

Rhett Breslawski

5' 11"
First Year

Players Mentioned

Sierra Danieu

Sierra Danieu

5' 2"
Senior
Benicio Benzan

Benicio Benzan

6' 0"
Sophomore
Brandon Blandino

Brandon Blandino

6' 1"
Sophomore
Spencer Buff

Spencer Buff

5' 11"
Sophomore
Jackson Burger

Jackson Burger

6' 2"
Junior
Nate Flaherty

Nate Flaherty

6' 2"
Sophomore
Derick Koen

Derick Koen

6' 0"
Senior
Branden McColm

Branden McColm

6' 5"
Junior
Evan Owens

Evan Owens

5' 6"
Senior
Rhett Breslawski

Rhett Breslawski

5' 11"
First Year