The NYU men's cross country team began its postseason in assertive fashion on Saturday by successfully defending its conference title at the University Athletic Association Cross Country Championships in Boston.
The Violets, currently ranked No. 2 in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division III poll, posted a winning score of 20, capturing each of the top three spots and five of the top eight.
Senior co-captain Ryan Williams finished first overall with a time of 25:02, just ahead of junior Jesse Schneider and senior co-captain Hany Abdallah, who finished in 25:06 and 25:07, respectively.
Seniors James McCarthy and Spenser Popeson secured the victory for the Violets, who have now won their last five races.
McCarthy's time of 25:27 earned him sixth place, while Popeson took eighth with a time of 25:36. All five of NYU's scorers improved on their times from last year's UAA Championship by at least 30 seconds.
But with the NCAA Division III Championship three weeks away, the team's celebration did not reflect its dominance.
"We've always been looking ahead," Abdallah said. "Winning nationals is our top priority."
Priorities aside, the Violets spared no one in their first of three postseason races. Their point total was tied for the second-lowest in UAA Championship history and the lowest since 1992.
Carnegie Mellon University finished in second place with 68 total points.
"Being the heavy favorites, we wanted to send a message to the teams we'll be running against in the future," Williams said. "Team-wise, I think this was the best meet we've ran this season. At this point, we're trying to beat ourselves. If we scored less points than we did last year, we did a good job."
The Violets' confidence will be further strengthened with the expected return of senior All-American Jon Phillips, who has been inactive thus far this season with a stress fracture.
Phillips plans to run in the NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional Championship on Saturday, Nov. 10. NYU will host the meet at Van Cortland Park in the Bronx at 11:30 a.m.; It will be the team's final test before the NCAA Division III Championship on Nov. 17.
Mason Felton-Reid is deputy sports editor. E-mail him at sports@nyunews.com.
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