CONTACT: Adam Sopris, a.sopris@hvcc.edu or 518-629-7898/518-416-2137
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Saturday, October 30, 2021
The Hudson Valley Community College men's and women's cross country programs competed in the 2021 NJCAA Region 3 Championships on Saturday morning in Canandaigua, NY as the championships were hosted by Finger Lakes Community College.
The women's team kicked off the championship events with the 5,000-meter race and earned four top-10 finishes on their way to win the Region 3 team championship for the second time in the last four seasons. Olivia Skylstad led the Vikings as the top finisher with a second-place performance and an official time of 24:17. Skystad was one of six Vikings runners to place inside the top-15 in Saturday's championship race.
Eva Sgambettera was the next best finisher for the Vikings as she placed fourth with an official time of 26:16. Hickory Whelan finished fifth with a time of 26:49, while Jessica Wank placed ninth and posted a time of 28:03. Ellicia Swedish rounds out the Vikings scoring and placed 11th overall with a time of 28:36. Elizabeth Erno earned a top-15 finish as she crossed the finish line in 14th place with a time of 32:57.
The men's team competed in the 8,000-meter championship race and earned a second-place finish. The Vikings top runner was Shazim Permaul, who placed second overall with an official time of 28:26. Permaul led three Vikings inside the top-10 as everyone who scored points for the Vikings earned top-25 finishes during Saturday's championship race. Trevor Dzikowicz crossed the line in ninth place with a time of 30:38. Eric Zumpe finished 10th at 30:51 and Garrick Smith-Growick crossed in 15th place with an official time of 31:52.
Jakob Quail rounds out the Vikings scoring as he placed 22nd overall and crossed the line with a time of 33:33. Benjamin Bulan and Dermot O'Connor finished 33rd and 41st, respectively. Bulan finished with a time of 35:29 and O'Connor posted a time of 38:44.
The cross country programs will continue their preparation for the final race on the 2021 championship circuit as they will now prepare for the upcoming NJCAA National Championships, hosted by Georiga Military in Midgeville, GA on Saturday, Nov. 13.