At Hanover College, on the weekend of Nov. 23, the Hopkins men's cross country team competed in the NCAA Championships.
It was an exclamation point on a historic season for the Jays, as they achieved their highest ranking in team history — a tremendous achievement after such a rewarding and successful season. Hopkins was able to clinch their first ever Centennial Conference Title and Mideast Regional title earlier in the year earning their way to the NCAAs. The Blue Jays clinched 11th place at the NCAA tournament with a total score of 355 points.
Senior Max Robinson, who finished 30th overall (25:19), led Hopkins during the event. He was also the first Blue Jay since 1991 to be selected as an All American.
Robinson talked about the team’s goals for the Championship. “Going into the race, we wanted to be in the top 10 and although we fell just short, it was such a big season overall for us that it was hard to be too upset," Robinson said.
The second Blue Jay to finish was senior Julian Saliani who finished 72nd overall with an impressive time of 25:44. The senior commented on how far the team has come throughout his career at Hopkins.
“We had never made it before my sophomore year, and now making it three times in a row is awesome," he said. "And getting 11th when we never even cracked the top 20 was incredible. With our first ever centennial conference and Mideast regional championships and the high national finish, it was easily our best season ever."
Other notable finishes included junior Austin Stecklair 107th (25:57), freshman Stefan Arnold 118th (26:02), sophomore Shaffer Ochstein 159th (26:18), senior Ryan Alvarez 211th (26:39) and junior Andrew Ceruzzi 214th (26:40).
Saliani spoke highly of Robinson, the team's captain and leader.
“Max becoming an All American is amazing but not shocking. Last year, he was trying to become an All-American but fell short with a sub-par day at nationals,” Saliani said. “Since then, you could tell that his real goal this year was to have his best race ever and get that All-American honor. He's come so far since his freshman year and all of us were rooting for him to get in that top 35 and cement his career as the greatest Hopkins cross country runner. His hard work and perseverance helped inspire me and the entire team this season and we're so proud of him."
St. Olaf defeated the defending champions North Central to capture the title. The individual champion was Connecticut College’s Michael LeDuc with a 24:29 finish time.
The historic season was a high point for the program, but Saliani talked of the future success of the program. “Losing the seniors will be tough, but it should be manageable. Losing Max is huge, but Schaffer, Austin and Stefan have both had races this year that prove they can be just as elite in the years to come, along with Andrew Cerruzi and possibly Ryan Alvarez. I understand we are losing some talent this year, but I am confident we will continue our climb into becoming a national contender in years to come."
Robinson was also optimistic about the future of the talented team. “Moving forward, I would hope for this team to make it up onto the podium very soon. This team can be a top three team in the country in a couple years," he said.
Now with seniors like Robinson and Saliani leaving, the Jays will have to look to the young talent that the team possesses to lead them to a top 10 finish. With an impressive season under their belts, a historic playoff finish and another conference championship, the bar has been very high for the men's cross country team as they look ahead to next year.
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