Old Westbury, N.Y. - For the fourth straight year, the Roberts Wesleyan men's and women's won the ECC Cross Country Championships, held on Saturday morning on the campus of NYIT.
The day opened with the men's 8K race and the Redhawks left little doubt that they would win their fourth straight ECC title. Josiah Ottolini was the first Redhawk across the finish line, narrowly beating NYIT's Noah Simatei in a time of 24:56.37, to win the ECC Runner of the Year honor. Simatei (24:59.27) was the first freshman across the finish to earn the league's Rookie of the Year.
After Simatei, the next five All-Conference First Team runners (Christopher Sims, Justin Shaffer, Benjamin Matz, Anthony Casullo, and Nathan Cannon) were all from Roberts Wesleyan. Erik Johnson also earned Second Team honors with a 10th place finish to give the Redhawks seven of the top-10 finishers.
Those totals gave Roberts a team point total of 19 points, which ended up 52 better than runner-up, St. Thomas Aquinas, who finished with 71.
The women's race was tighter than the men's but was still a comfortable win for the Redhawks. They topped St. Thomas Aquinas by a margin of 36-61 to wrap up their fourth straight ECC Championship.
Emily Betts was first of two All-Conference honorees for the Redhawks with a fourth place finish in a time of 18:43.80. Ashley Watson came in fifth with a time of 18:59.39 to not only earn All-Conference First Team honors but also to earn the ECC Rookie of the Year award as the first first-year performer across the finish line.
Roberts had a run of six straight runners come in from eighth through 13th place to earn Second Team All-Conference and also wrap up the league title. The six runners were Veronica Stauffer, Brittany Shumway, Michaela Bierly, Addison Sgroi, Moriah Martone, and Makenzie Widder.
Roberts Wesleyan's Co-Head Coaches Andrew and Jennifer Dorr, were named the Men's and Women's ECC Coaches of the Year after leading the Redhawks to a first place finish in each race. This is the fifth consecutive year the pair has won the honor for both genders and the sixth straight year in the women's race.
Talya Williams of LIU Post wrapped up her stellar career by claiming the third ECC Runner of the Year award in her four seasons. She dominated the field with her winning time of 17:44.08, which was nearly 54 seconds faster than the runner-up.
Men's Team Results
| Team | Pts. |
| 1. Roberts Wesleyan | 19 |
| 2. St. Thomas Aquinas | 71 |
| 3. Daemen | 85 |
| 4. Molloy | 86 |
| 5. NYIT | 117 |
| 6. LIU Post | 162 |
| 7. Queens | 200 |
| 8. Bridgeport | 227 |
Men's Cross Country All-Conference First Team
Name (Time)
Josiah Ottolini, Roberts Wesleyan
Noah Simatei, NYIT
Christopher Sims, Roberts Wesleyan
Justin Shaffer, Roberts Wesleyan
Benjamin Matz, Roberts Wesleyan
Anthony Casullo, Roberts Wesleyan
Nathan Cannon, Roberts Wesleyan
Men's Cross Country All-Conference Second Team
Name (Time)
Brian Michels, Molloy
Robert Guidicipietro, St. Thomas Aquinas
Erik Johnson, Roberts Wesleyan
Nicholas Martello, St. Thomas Aquinas
Joshua Bodnar, Daemen
Vincent Vazquez, St. Thomas Aquinas
James Finnegan, Molloy
Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year - Josiah Ottolini, Roberts Wesleyan
Men's Cross Country Rookie of the Year - Noah Simatei
Men's Cross Country Coaches of the Year - Andrew and Jennifer Dorr, Roberts Wesleyan
Women's Team Results
| Team | Pts. |
| 1. Roberts Wesleyan | 36 |
| 2. St. Thomas Aquinas | 61 |
| 3. Daemen | 67 |
| 4. Molloy | 104 |
| 5. LIU Post | 124 |
| 6. Queens | 163 |
| 7. NYIT | 171 |
| 8. Dist. Columbia | 244 |
| 9. Bridgeport | 262 |
Women's Cross Country All-Conference First Team
Name (Time)
Talya Williams, LIU Post
Amy Trabert, Daemen
Aida Torpey, St. Thomas Aquinas
Emily Betts, Roberts Wesleyan
Ashley Watson, Roberts Wesleyan
Tara Pede, Daemen
Kristen Borriello, St. Thomas Aquinas
Women's Cross Country All-Conference Second Team
Name (Time)
Veronica Stauffer, Roberts Wesleyan
Brittany Shumway, Roberts Wesleyan
Michaela Bierly, Roberts Wesleyan
Addison Sgroi, Roberts Wesleyan
Moriah Martone, Roberts Wesleyan
Makenzie Widder, Roberts Wesleyan
Rebecca McLeod, St. Thomas Aquinas
Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year - Talya Williams, LIU Post
Women's Cross Country Rookie of the Year - Ashley Watson, Roberts Wesleyan
Women's Cross Country Coaches of the Year - Andrew and Jennifer Dorr, Roberts Wesleyan