Army Claims Second Consecutive League Title

Saturday, October 27

Lewisburg, PA

12 PM

Army West Point

Patriot League Championships

Army Claims Second Consecutive League Title

October 27, 2018 | Men's Cross Country

LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Army West Point men's cross country team claimed its second consecutive Patriot League Championship with a commanding performance at Bucknell on Saturday.

It marks the first time Army has won back-to-back league titles since 2000-01. The team's 32-point total was its best since its championship winning performance in 2000.

The Black Knights were led by junior Roman Ollar's second place finish. Ollar followed up his race victory at Navy with a strong 25:36.0 finish, earning him First Team All-Patriot League honors.

Two other Black Knights received the honor, as senior Mikey Singer finished fifth at 26:04.8 and junior Ben Petrella finish sixth with a time of 26:07.8.

Two Army runners earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors, as junior Robbie Santoyo placed eighth (26:11.2) and freshman Marshall Beatty came in 11th (26:18.1). Beatty was the race's top finishing freshman, earning him Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors. He is the second Army runner to win the award since it was established in 2004, as Daniel Mazzei claimed the honor in last year's meet.

Coach's Corner: Head Coach Mike Smith-
"We had a great effort today from all of our men. They were grity and determined We have had great leadership from Mikey Singer all year and it was more of the same today. He set the tone before the race and met the challenge out there once again. The guys feed off his stability and determination and that is how we raced today. They knew what they needed to do to win the meet and they executed. We didn't get overly aggressive early. In fact, we were very controlled early in the race because we knew that the last two loops would be where the places would come back to us.

"We had great performances from almost every man out there. Roman (Ollar) was a threat to win today and ws in the hunt until maybe the last 400 meters. He has become a very consistent performer and is a very strong front runner. (Ben) Petrella and (Robbie) Santoyo were in the top-ten the whole way and Mikey measured the early loops and tehn picked off one guy after another, working his way through the field. Marshall Beatty gave us exactly what we needed today. He hung back early and made up 15 to 20 spots over the last two loops. Our other guys were also strong out there. We had ten guys finish before any other team had five in.

"I am proud of them for winning, but even more pleased with how they handled the conditions. The rain was relentless and the course was slippery and sloppy throughout the mud almost every step of the way. It was a challenge just to stay upright. Two of our top five guys went down in the middle of the race. Petrella slid down a slope while negotiating a turn and Roman went down with a few other guys at the front of the race. They popped right back up and got back into the unt without missing a beat. It was a great day for our guys"