Urban leads Men’s Cross Country to fifth-place finish at MAAC Championships

By Cassandra Ercoli, Sports Reporter

In his final cross country championship for the Golden Griffins, senior Kyle Urban highlighted the men’s cross country team’s fifth-place finish with his 12th-place finish in the 2025 MAAC Cross Country Championship in Montgomery, N.Y.

Urban’s 12th-place finish in a time of 24:33.6 marked his career best finish at the MAAC Championships and a career-best time in the 8K event, and was good for an All-MAAC recognition. Urban’s time is the second fastest time recorded by a Griff at the MAAC championships, second only to Brennan Roots’ time of 24:29 posted in 2015. 

Behind Urban was fellow senior Brody Jones and sophomore Nathaniel Fisher, who finished right behind each other. Jones placed 24th with a career-best 25:05.4, while Fisher ran to a top-25 finish in a time of 25:08.6. Sophomore Fenway Breckels (25:53.7/49th) and freshman Daniel Granville (26:22.4/76th) rounded out the other two scorers for Canisius.

Iona won its NCAA-record 35th consecutive MAAC championship title, claiming every top-ten finish. The Gael’s Matt Rankin had a winning time of 24:11.8, followed by a three-way tie for second by his fellow teammates (24:12.1). Besides Canisius, Siena was the only other school to place runners in the top-15 (11th, 14th, 15th). The Saints claimed silver while Marist rounded out the men’s podium. 

In the women’s 6K event, freshman Julia Gullo paced the Griffs crossing the finish line in 46th, with a time of 22:50.4. Junior Brooke Podgorski snagged the Blue and Gold’s only other top-100 finish, crossing the line in 89th with her own career-best time of 23:52.0. Juniors Cassandra Collins (24:16.8/104th), Payton Calkins (24:20.7/107th) and sophomore Clara Sundberg (24:21.4/108th) were the other three runners to score for the Griffs. 

Quinnipiac won its fourth-straight team title, with runners placing third, fourth, seventh, ninth, and thirteenth. Fairfield’s Hannah Snayd claimed the individual title with a time of 20:04.8, while Iona and Sacred Heart filled out the podium. 

The women’s 12th-place finish, who lost key runners to graduation, is the first time the Griffs have placed outside of the top-ten since 2008. Last year, the women’s team finished fifth, placing its five scoring runners in 55th or better. 

“No season is perfect and we continue to work through our share of injuries and challenges, but nevertheless the majority of the athletes set [personal records] this season. And a lot of them did when it counted most in the MAAC champs,” said interim coach Ken Crawford. 

Throughout the season, the Blue and Gold have faced adversity with changes to personnel, but have prevailed with personal bests and a culture of cohesion. “I'm most impressed by the athletes' determination and resolve. They went through an unexpected coaching change, embraced the challenge and were able to continue to perform at a high level through a big transition,” explained interim Head Coach Ken Crawford.

To close out the postseason, the Griffs will compete in one last cross country race at the NCAA Northeast Regional on Nov. 14 in Hopkinton, N.H.

Photo courtesy of Tom Wolf