NEW ORLEANS — The Iona College men’s cross country team maintained its No. 5 ranking in the latest NCAA Division I Cross Country National Coaches Poll released Nov. 4. The Top 10 teams remained the same following the conference championship weekend.
The Gaels cruised to their 24th straight MAAC Championship with a perfect score of 15 points, extending the nation’s longest conference title streak. The first nine runners to cross the line at Holmdel Park wore Maroon & Gold. Senior Jake Byrne led the group at the front of the pack as the first seven Gaels crossed within a second of each other. The first nine included junior Otis Ubriaco, freshman Gilbert Kirui sophomore Kieran Clements, red shirt freshman Brandon Allen, junior Michael O’Dowd, red shirt freshmen Chartt Miller and Andrew Tario and senior Nick Lachman.
The Maroon & Gold ranks No. 2 in the Northeast region behind Syracuse, the fourth ranked team in the national poll.
The Gaels compete at the 2014 NCAA Northeast Regional Championship next Friday (Nov. 14) at Van Cortlandt Park looking to earn their ninth regional title and first since the 2012 campaign.
