At a glance
Four members of the Alfred State College cross country team ran to NJCAA Division III honors with top 15 finishes at the National Championships last weekend at Finger Lakes CC. John Sweeney (Barker) earned first team, Brandon Lewis (Red Creek) and Carey Crooker (Addison) earned second team, and Joe Seitz (Williamsville North) was third team.
Four members of the Alfred State College cross country team ran to NJCAA Division III honors with top 15 finishes at the National Championships last weekend at Finger Lakes CC. John Sweeney (Barker) earned first team, Brandon Lewis (Red Creek) and Carey Crooker (Addison) earned second team, and Joe Seitz (Williamsville North) was third team.
Sweeney repeats as a NJCAA All-American after earning second team honors in 2008. At last weekend's race he finished 3rd overall. He finished the FLCC 8k course in 28:05 (5:40 minute miles) and trailed the overall winner by 23 seconds. Sweeney has now earned All-Americans three times in his career at Alfred State (twice cross country and once outdoor track & field).
Lewis followed up a first team All-Region performance at Regionals with a 10th place finish at Nationals. The freshman finished the course in 28:48 (5:48 minute miles).
Crooker led the Lady Pioneers with an 8th place finish on the 5k course at FLCC. She finished in 21:10 (6:50 minute miles). She was just six seconds from the 4th place finisher.
Seitz raced to a 14th place finish to cap his freshman campaign. He crossed the finish line just four seconds after Lewis in 28:52 (5:49 minute miles).
The Pioneer men finished 2nd as a team. The 2nd place finish was the programs best finish since 2001. The women finished 5th overall for the second straight year. ASC had gone into the national championships ranked #2 for the men and #5 for the women.