Men's Cross Country 9/25/2018 3:35:00 PM By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

Men's Cross Country Breaks Into Regional Rankings

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY EAST REGION RANKINGS - WEEK #2
Rank	School	Conference	Last Week Ranking
1	American International	NE-10	1st
2	Stonehill	NE-10	2nd
3	Southern New Hampshire	NE-10	3rd
4	Roberts Wesleyan	ECC	4th
5	Southern Connecticut State	NE-10	5th
6	Franklin Pierce	NE-10	6th
7	Merrimack	NE-10	8th
8	Assumption	NE-10	7th
9	Wilmington	CACC	9th
10	DAEMEN	ECC	NR

AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College men's cross country team is the No. 10 ranked team in the latest NCAA Division II East Region poll released this afternoon by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coach Association (USTFCCCA). It marks the first time since Daemen transitioned to NCAA Division II (officially in 2015) that the Wildcats have been included in the regional rankings.

The Wildcats out-seated fellow East Coast Conference member St. Thomas Aquinas College in this week's poll. The Spartans dropped out after being ranked ninth in the preseason poll released in late August, and 10th last week. Both the Wildcats and Spartans competed this past Saturday at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational. Daemen finished eighth out of 21 teams, edging STAC which placed ninth.

There was no movement among the top six teams in the poll, and the Northeast-10 Conference appears to have a stronghold on several of the top positions. American International College topped the poll while fellow NE-10 members Stonehill College and Southern New Hampshire University came in second and third.

Roberts Wesleyan College, the only other ECC member in the poll besides Daemen, remained at No. 4. The Redhawks finished as champions of their own event, the Harry F. Anderson Invitational this past weekend.

Southern Connecticut State University (No. 5), Franklin Pierce University (No. 6), Merrimack College (No. 7), Assumption College (No. 8) and Wilmington University (No. 9) round out the teams ahead of Daemen. Merrimack was the lone team to move up, leap-frogging Assumption this week. Wilmington is the lone Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference team in the poll.

The Wildcats have been paced this season by sophomore Mike Swiniarski (Akron, N.Y.) who has been the team's top finisher in all three races thus far. Swiniarski opened the season by winning the Daniel Walker Invitational on September 1, earning ECC Runner of the Week honors for his effort. He posted the fourth top-15 finish of his career this past weekend, placing 14th with a career-best 8K time of 26:34.9.

Veterans Josh Bodnar (Fillmore, N.Y.) and Lucas Canales (Ithaca, N.Y.) have also played a large role for the Wildcats this season. Bodnar placed 35th this past weekend with a time of 27:15.9, the third-fastest 8K time of his career. It was nearly two minutes faster than his time at the same event last season. Canales placed 57th in a field that featured 232 total runners. His time of 27:55.0 marked the fourth time in his last six 8K races that he's posted a sub-28 minute time.

Rookies Nate Louk (Jane Lew, W. Va.) and Robert Spierling (Endicott, N.Y.), and redshirt senior Zach Barnes (Jamestown, N.Y.) have also contributed. Louk has been Daemen's fourth finisher in all three races.

The Wildcats return to racing on Saturday, October 6 at the Highlander Invitational hosted by Houghton College.

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Players Mentioned

Zach Barnes: 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior

Josh Bodnar: 5' 8"; Sophomore

Lucas Canales: 5' 7"; Junior

Mike Swiniarski: 5' 9"; Freshman

Robert Spierling: 5' 7"; Freshman

Nate Louk: 5' 10"; Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Zach Barnes
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Junior

Josh Bodnar
: 5' 8"; Sophomore

Lucas Canales
: 5' 7"; Junior

Mike Swiniarski
: 5' 9"; Freshman

Robert Spierling
: 5' 7"; Freshman

Nate Louk
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Sophomore