LOUDONVILLE, NY – The Siena Saints Cross Country teams set new program expectations on Saturday afternoon, as Siena played host to the 2018 MAAC Cross Country Championship at The Crossings of Colonie.
 
The men's team set a program best finish with a second place result in the men's 8K. The women's squad would have their second-best finish in program history, as they placed third in the championship 6K race. With four individual top 15 finishes, the Saints had seniors Sarah Forman and William Randall, and juniors Evans Kibet and Stosh Davis earn those honors.
 
The men's race started swiftly for the Saints, as Kibet held a top five position through much of the race. Kibet would finish just outside the top five in sixth, as he finished the 8k with a time of 25:29.8, besting his time from this year's previous meet at The Crossings by 10 seconds. Davis would be the second top finishing Saint, coming in at 25:42.3 for an 11^th place finish. Randall would finish four seconds behind Davis, as he came in at 25:46.2 in 13^th position. Rounding out the scoring for the green and gold would be senior Jack O'Hara and junior Michael Rautter, who came in 21^st and 26^th to help the Saints to a score of 77. O'Hara came in at 26:06.0 while Rautter put up a time of 26:11.2.

For the women, Forman would be the only Saint under a 6:00 pace at 5:58, finishing 10^th with a time of 22:12.4. The time would be the 10^th fastest time in program history, as she will own six of the top 10 times in the program's record book. The second fastest Saint was Monica Strain, as the sophomore finished 22^nd for a time of 22:42.8. Juniors Sydney Johnson and Carolyn Pellegrini finished back-to-back in 26^th and 27^th with times of 23:05.3 and 25:10.3. Rounding out the top five was sophomore Morgan Serkes, as she finished 29^th with a time of 23:18.1.

"The goal all year has been finishing second for the men and third for the women," said head coach John Kenworthy. "So today was just a great culmination of a season long commitment to big goals. We knew we had great opportunities and have set ourselves up well all season, but the MAAC will never make it easy. So to come away successful on both sides was a lot of fun. I'm extremely proud of our student athletes, and thankful for such a supportive community that came out to cheer us on at home."
 
Taking home both the men's and women's championship was the Iona Gaels, as they had the top three finishers in the men's race, and the women had seven of the top 10 finishers. The win for the men's Iona squad would be their 28^th straight team championship and the 18^th straight individual champion. The Gaels women's team would get their fourth straight MAAC championship.
 
Both the men's and women's teams were well represented in the MAAC All-Academic teams, as the Saints had 11 men and 12 women earn recognition. For the men's team, it would be Michael Carroll, Stosh Davis, Chris Estremera, Jacob Greski, Ryan Holland, Matt Jacques, Jason Linendoll, Jack O'Hara, Michael Rautter, Michael Stoker, and Peter Wagner. For the women, Holly Bednarek, Allison Hill, Sydney Johnson, Camryn Johnson, Carissa Kahn, Meghan McDonough, Mary McNally, Carolyn Pellegrini, Anya Schmitt, Morgan Serkes, and Abbi Wright would all earn honors as well.