Stony Brook Wins Back-to-Back CAA Men’s Cross Country Titles; NU’s Godish Claims Individual Crown
Hunter Peters
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | RESULTS | HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTO GALLERY
MECHANICSVILLE, Va. (Oct. 27, 2023) – Stony Brook won its second CAA Men’s Cross Country title in as many tries, while
Benjamin Godish of Northeastern claimed the individual crown Friday morning at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, Va.
The Seawolves tallied 36 points to become the fourth program in league history to win the team title on multiple occasions. Northeastern finished runner-up for a third straight year, totaling 49 points, and William & Mary placed third with 77 points. Monmouth (107 points) and Hofstra (140 points) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, ahead of Elon, UNCW, Charleston, Campbell, North Carolina A&T and Hampton to round out the team race.
Stony Brook recorded six All-CAA finishes, with four runners in the top 10. Carlos Santos paced the Seawolves, finishing runner-up in 24:15.3, two places ahead of last season. Evan Brennan (24:31.1), Steven Struk (24:37.1) and Collin Gilstrap (24:37.4) also ran to top-10 finishes, placing sixth, eighth and ninth, respectively. In addition, Michael Fama (24:39.2) and Shane Henderson (24:45.7) received All-CAA accolades, finishing back-to-back in 11th and 12th.
Godish is the third consecutive individual champion from Northeastern as the junior bettered his runner-up finish in 2022 to win Most Outstanding Performer honors with a time of 24:06.4 in 2023. His victory, coupled with Abigail Hassman’s in the women’s 6K, marks the first time since 1996-97 that a CAA program has swept the men’s and women’s individual titles in back-to-back seasons. Two other Huskies joined Godish in the top five of the men’s 8K race. Patrick Mullen (24:25.0) and Patrick Cullen (24:25.3) finished consecutively in fourth and fifth.
William & Mary had four all-conference performances, led by Patrick North (24:38.1), running to a 10th-place finish. The Tribe also placed 13th through 15th as Hayes Trapp (24:48.0), Nate Jennings (24:59.4) and Peyton Golden (25:00.3) finished back-to-back-to-back.
Additionally, Hofstra and Monmouth placed runners in the top 10 individually. Zach Van Houten led for half the race before finishing third in 24:15.9. Van Houten makes it six straight years the Pride has had a top-five-finisher at the CAA Championships. Declan McDonnell placed seventh (24:34.6), recording the highest individual finish in Monmouth program history, and gave the Hawks an All-CAA honoree in back-to-back seasons.
Team Standings
1. Stony Brook – 36 points (2-6-8-9-11)
2. Northeastern – 49 points (1-4-5-19-20)
3. William & Mary – 77 points (10-13-14-15-25)
4. Monmouth – 107 points (7-17-22-28-33)
5. Hofstra – 140 points (3-21-26-42-48)
6. Elon – 162 points (18-30-32-39-43)
7. UNCW – 213 points (36-38-44-45-50)
8. Charleston – 216 points (31-40-46-47-52)
9. Campbell – 271 points (41-56-57-58-59)
10. North Carolina A&T – 274 points (27-49-64-65-69)
11. Hampton – 346 points (62-68-71-72-73)
Men’s Cross Country All-CAA Honorees
1. Benjamin Godish, Northeastern – 24:06.4
2. Carlos Santos, Stony Brook – 24:15.3
3. Zach Van Houten, Hofstra – 24:15.9
4. Patrick Mullen, Northeastern – 24:25.0
5. Patrick Cullen, Northeastern – 24:25.3
6. Evan Brennan, Stony Brook – 24:31.1
7. Declan McDonnell, Monmouth – 24:34.6
8. Steven Struk, Stony Brook – 24:37.1
9. Collin Gilstrap, Stony Brook – 24:37.4
10. Patrick North, William & Mary – 24:38.1
11. Michael Fama, Stony Brook – 24:39.2
12. Shane Henderson, Stony Brook – 24:45.7
13. Hayes Trapp, William & Mary – 24:48.0
14. Nate Jennings, William & Mary – 24:59.4
15. Peyton Golden, William & Mary – 25:00.3
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