Men's Cross Country Finishes Second At Patriot League Championships

Saturday, October 28

Hamilton, NY

TBA

Army West Point

Patriot League

Men's Cross Country Finishes Second At Patriot League Championships

October 28, 2023 | Men's Cross Country

HAMILTON, N.Y. – The Army West Point men's cross country team placed second in the Patriot League Championships, placing three in the top 10.

Marc Baroncini led the way for the Black Knights placing fifth with a time of 25:00.8. Erick Lara and Isaac Morris came in seventh and eighth place only 00:00.1 second apart with times of 25:09.0 and 25:09.1 respectively.

Navy took home the team crown with a score of 37.

Baroncini and Lara took home All-Patriot League First Team honors with Morries and Anthony Diaz landing on the Second Team.

COACH SMITH'S CORNER

Our men were beaten soundly two weeks ago in the Star meet. When I spoke to the team after that loss, I told them that we would be measured not by our performance but by how we would respond after the loss. Our training in the lead up to the meet today was excellent. It wasn't so much the results of the training as it was the attitude that the guys brought to practice each day. We saw their resolve on display today. Navy and Boston were clear favorites to finish first and second today. We had not beaten either team this year so going into the meet the guys had a bit of a chip on their shoulder and they stepped up today and met the challenge. The result was that we ran the best race of our season. It wasn't enough to win but our effort and our competitive instincts were a good representation of what this team is about. We beat a very good Boston team and competed well against a very good navy team. We have talked all year about this meet and how we would measure up against the course and the challenges it presents. Our intent all along was to bring our best effort at the right time on the course and we did that. We were behind in the scoring at the midpoint of the race but we closed that gap over the last half of the race and then surged into 2^ndin the final kilometer. This course is a monster. It is a mix of rolling hills in the forest and thick grass trails in the first mile and a half and then it winds up the side of a mountain on a narrow crushed rock and rooted trail for a half mile. It is a steep, muddy, and punishing climb that can cause havoc to your legs if you take it too hard or come into it with too much fatigue….and the men do the hill climb twice. There is no rhythm at all on this course and you have to be committed to the race and not the challenges of the terrain. Once on top of the mountain, there is a short area of rolling trail and then you come off the mountain on a steep descent that twists and turns like a roller coaster finally spitting you out onto the rolling grass trail to the finish. The level of difficulty worked in our favor today. We knew what the challenges were, and I think the guys handled it well. They focused on the competitive aspect of the meet and that worked well for us. In the end, we finally put together a complete race which has eluded us all season. We do not have a celebrated list of proven cross country runners on this roster. That changed today. Marc Baroncini '26 had a big breakthrough in this race. He has quietly taken a step forward as a low stick front runner. He challenged at the front of the Star meet two weeks ago and today he brought that same fight to the conference championship. He was somewhat dejected afterward because he wanted to win the race and I told him that I was proud of his effort and his fight. His winning attitude will serve him well in the future. He is a fearless racer and we are getting a lot out of him. It was great to see him finish 5th today after claiming 44th a year ago at the same meet. Erick Lara '24 ran the best race of his season today. He has the track credentials (29:28 10k) to compete at the front of most of our cross country meets so I expected that from him today and he was on his game out there. Erick performs at his best when there is rhythm to the race course. This course is anything but rhythmic so there was much to overcome for him and he did well to finish in the top 10. Isaac was our other top 10 finisher. He ran at the front of the race early and he stayed up there throughout. He has emerged as one of our most consistent performers and I expect that he will continue to be a force for us at the front of races. Anthony Diaz '26 also took a big step forward today. He is a good racer. He puts himself into the race and never falters. Today was more of the same. His 11^th place finish was much better than last year and helped propel us to the runner-up finish. Our fifth runner today was our team captain, Thomas Vo '24. Thomas has had moments this season where he put his considerable talent on display. But his struggle has been his lack of consistency. Today he ran with a sense of purpose, and he had the fastest last split in the entire race. He closed the race down with great intensity and it made a big difference in our final outcome. The guys showed grit today. They aren't focused on any moral victories and I don't expect them to be satisfied with the runner up finish, but I am proud of how they have responded and look forward to what they can accomplish in the coming weeks.