Hempstead, NY – The Hofstra Men's Cross Country team returns to frigid Western New York Friday to compete in the 2019 NCAA Division I Northeast Regional Cross Country Championship at the Audubon Golf Course in Amherst, New York. The men's 10K race begins at 12 p.m.
.
The University at Buffalo, the host of the men's and women's regional, will provide live results through
Leone Timing with links on this page as well as on the schedule page of GoHofstra.com. FloSports will provide streaming video of the 2019 NCAA Division I Northeast Regional Cross Country Championship through
FloTrack. Fans who have purchased a FloSports subscription for other sports, like CAA Sports on FloSports, will also be able to access the NCAA Cross Country Regional on FloTrack.
Hofstra is expected to run send five runners to this year's NCAA Regional Championship as senior standout
Alex Masai and classmate
Dante Perez, junior
Tosin Ibironke, and freshmen sensation
Isa Suleiman and classmate
Ben Haber will compete.
The Pride men are coming off a fourth-place finish in their last outing at the Colonial Athletic Association Championship in New Market, Virginia on November 2. Masai recorded the second-best 8K time in conference history and captured his second consecutive CAA Cross Country Championship by posting a time of 23:54.5. He became just the sixth runner in CAA history to repeat as conference men's cross country champion in consecutive years. Masai's championship time was second only to Matt Lane's 23:46.01 from William and Mary at the 1999 championship in Wilmington, North Carolina. Masai was named the 2019 Most Outstanding Performer and also earned All-CAA honors for the second straight CAA Championship. He now has recorded four meet titles in as many outings this season and won his sixth cross country title in seven career meets.
Suleiman placed third in 24:40.6 to earn CAA Rookie of the Year honors and give Hofstra two All-CAA selections in consecutive championships. Ibironke was the Pride's third finisher, posting a time of 27:14.5 while sophomore
Paul Markovina placed 45th in 27:43.5. Haber finished 49th in 28:47.2 while Perez was 51st in 29:47.3. Hofstra finished with 112 points as William and Mary, behind five runners placing in the top 10, captured their 20th consecutive CAA Team Championship with 27 points.
Last year at the NCAA Regionals, Hofstra freshman
Meshack Kipchirchir placed 51st to lead the Hofstra to a 21st-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country Northeast Regional Championship on the same sloppy course that is, most likely, waiting for all the competitors at the Audubon Golf Course. Kipchirchir clocked a time of 34:16.8 in the 10K race. Masai, who also had problems on the snowy and sloppy course, was the Pride's second finisher, posting a time of 34:28.1 to place 62nd. Markovina was 163rd in 36:13.4 while Ibironke was 182nd in 36:51.4. Perez placed in 233rd place finish in 39:30.4.
As a team, Hofstra finished in 21st place with 571 points. Syracuse won the regional with 79 points. Iona was second with 88 points and Army West Point was third with 135 points in the 34-team field. UMass Lowell's Paul Hogan was the individual medalist in 32:30.9.
Northeast Region – Men (as of Nov. 4, 2019)
