FREDONIA, NY – Behind a pair of top-10 finishes from juniors Joe Berry and Liam Sakakeeny, the University of Rochester Men's Cross Country team took home a third-place finish on Saturday at the NCAA Division III Niagara Cross Country Regional, hosted by Fredonia State at the Blue Devils' Cross Country Course.
 
All of Rochester's top five runners finished the day with new personal best 8k times.
 
The duo of Berry and Sakakeeny led Rochester with two top-10 finishes. Berry crossed the line with a time of 25:09.1, earning himself an eighth-place finish, while Sakakeeny placed ninth, finishing in 25:10.4.
 
Nick Ferratella took 26th, joining Berry and Sakakeeny in earning All-Region honors with a top-35 finish. Ferratella clocked in at 25:58.7, good for 26th overall.
 
Maverick Kentz and Will Straub closed out Rochester's top-five runners. Kentz placed 46th, crossing the finish line with a time of 26:24.8. Straub grabbed a 56th-overall finish with a time of 26:41.0
 
Salim Ford and Gus Smith were the Yellowjackets' displacers in the 176-runner field. Ford ran a time of 26:42.9 to a 57th-place result, while Smith finished 63rd, with a time of 26:49.1.
 
As a team, Rochester finished with 140 points to take third for the second year in a row. SUNY Geneseo took the regional title with 27 points, with NYU securing second place, stacking 52 points. Hamilton (155) and RIT (182) rounded out the top-five team finishers.
 
SUNY Geneseo had four of the top ten individual finishers, with Emerson Comer leading the way for the Knights as the top individual finisher with a time of 24:33.8.
 
The Yellowjackets will now await any potential at-large bids to the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, to be announced on Sunday, Nov. 15. The Championships will take place on Saturday, Nov. 21 at the Bill Huyck Championship Course in Northfield, MN.