ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Oneonta men's and women's cross-country teams will host the 2026 SUNYAC Cross-Country Championships at Fortin Park on Saturday, October 31. The women's 6,000-meter race starts at 11 a.m., and the men's 8,000-meter race starts at noon. The Red Dragons last hosted the SUNYAC meet in 2023. Last season, the winner placed second, and the men finished seventh.

In addition to Oneonta, the SUNYAC Championships consist of Buffalo State, Canton, Cobleskill, Cortland, Delhi, Fredonia, Morrisville, Alfred State, Plattsburgh, Oswego, and Potsdam. Cortland won both the men's and women's titles last season.

On the women's side, junior Natalia Sweat (Newburgh, NY/Newburgh) led the Red Dragons with three top-ten finishes this season. Sweat posted a season-best time of 22:49.1 to finish tenth at the Yellowjacket Invitational on September 19. She took third at the Kara Hall Memorial Invite in 23:03.7 and finished 23rd at the Mike Woods Invitational in 22:58.5. Senior Anya Sloth (Oneonta, NY/Oneonta Senior) ran 23:30.3 at the Yellowjacket Invitational for 27th overall.

Following the lead pack, sophomores Summer Sayaves (Levittown, NY/General Douglas MacArthur) and Jill Cinquina (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas) finished close together throughout the year. Sayaves posted a personal best time of 23:58.3 at the Yellowjacket Invitational, while Cinquina ran a season best of 23:38.8 at the same meet. Junior Anna Kern (Central Valley, NY/Monroe-Woodbury) ran 23:49.4 at the Yellowjacket Invitational, and freshman Alannah McCarthy (Slingerlands, NY/Clayton A. Bouton) ran a personal best of 24:49.6 at the Kara Hall Invite. Junior Sophia Allen (Scotia, NY/Scotia Glenville) closed out the season with a personal record of 25:05.9 at the Mike Woods Invitational, while freshman Paige Baker (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) ran a personal best of 24:28.9 at the Yellowjacket Invitational.

For the men, sophomore Xander Kunz (Elbridge, NY/Jordan-Elbridge) stepped up for the Red Dragons with a personal best of 26:28.8 set at the Yellowjacket Invitational. He finished 14th at the Kara Hall Memorial Invite in 26:56.2. Senior Noah Pickard (Batavia, NY/Batavia) ran 26:44.3 for 49th overall at the Yellowjacket Invitational, a personal best, while sophomore Chris Jones ran 26:54.0, a personal best.

Senior Lucas Berg (Nyack, NY/Nyack) ran a season-best 27:19.8 at Rochester, and sophomore Alexander Wheeler (Colonie, NY/Colonie Central) had a personal record of 27:27.0 at the same meet. Senior Chris Schimkus (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa) ran his season-best, 27:46.0, at the Yellowjacket Invite. Junior Vincent DiStefano (Nesconset, NY/Smithtown West) ran a personal best of 27:51.0.

Following the SUNYAC Championships, Oneonta will travel to the NCAA Division III Niagara Regional Championships on Saturday, November 13, held by Fredonia.