EAST COAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP — COMPLETE RESULTS


ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Sophomore Connor O'Brien (Hamburg, N.Y.) recorded a top-15 effort to lead the Daemen College men's cross country team to a fourth place showing at the 2021 East Coast Conference Championships held today on the campus of Roberts Wesleyan College.

Roberts Wesleyan took top honors for the seventh-straight year after placing five runners among the top six finishers. They were led by race winner James Betts who paced the field with a time of 25:47.3 and in the process earned ECC Runner of the Year honors. The 8K race featured 66 total competitors. Roberts Wesleyan, which nearly recorded a perfect score of 15, placed first with a team score of 17. St. Thomas Aquinas College placed second (76), while Molloy College (82) edged out Daemen (85) for third place. Queens College (124) rounded out the top five. The fourth place showing was the highest for Daemen since placing third in 2017.

Daemen returns to the Roberts Wesleyan campus on Nov. 6 to take part in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II East Region Championship.


HIGHLIGHTS

• O'Brien was the top Daemen finisher for the first time in his brief career, as he posted a personal best time of 27:13.2 and placed 14th overall. He took nearly minute off his previous personal best time of 28:12.1 that he posted last week at the Canisius Alumni Classic. His 14th place showing earned O'Brien second-team all conference  honors. The league awards first-team honors to finishers one through seven, and second-team honors to finishers eight through 14.
• Junior Dominic Clementi (Barker, N.Y.) turned in his best effort of the season and placed 21st with a personal best time of 27:45.3—eclipsing his previous best time of 28:22.5 he posted at the Canisius Alumni Classic last weekend. Even more impressive is the fact that Clementi knocked six minutes off the time he registered (33:47.7) at the 2019 ECC Championships.
• Sophomore Jon Moote (Wilson, N.Y.), who had finished first among Daemen runners in each of the last four races, came in just behind Clementi and placed 22nd with a time of 27:53.9.
• Freshman John Balch (Saranac, N.Y.) improved his time for the fourth-straight race and broke the 29 minute mark for the first time. He placed 30th with a personal best time of 28:21.0—eclipsing his previous best time of 29:11.6 he set last week at the Canisius Alumni Classic.
• Sophomores Steven Blatto (Lancaster, N.Y.) and David Schwinger (Buffalo, N.Y.) also came home with new personal best times. Blatto finished just behind Balch and placed 31st with a time of 28:23.5. His previous best time of 29:16.5 was set last weekend at the Canisius Alumni Classic. Schwinger broke the 30 minute barrier for the first time in his career and placed 46th (29:52.6).
• Freshman Nolan Robillard (Hamburg, N.Y.) and redshirt junior Alexander Reynolds (Olean, N.Y.) rounded out the Daemen runners today. Robillard finished 48th (31:27.2) and Reynolds placed 52nd (32:27.0).
• Sophomore Phil Ceccarelli (Hamburg, N.Y.), who did not compete today, was awarded the Elite 19 Award for men's cross country. The ECC announced the creation of the Elite 19 award in 2017, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average competing in each of the ECC's 19 championships.
   

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

Follow the Daemen College men's cross country program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenXC_TRACK.