McLeod Leads Erie at Region 3 Championship

The SUNY Erie cross country teams opened their championship season with strong performances at the NJCAA Region 3 Championship, hosted by Finger Lakes Community College.

 

The Kats earned second place in the women's team standings with 51 points, finishing behind Hudson Valley (21) and ahead of Herkimer (61).

 

Emma Palumbo led the charge once again, placing third overall in 23:55.76 to earn All-Region honors. Madison Palumbo followed in 11th with a time of 26:22.30, and Erik Blersch finished 19th in 32:44.81. Rounding out the scoring five were Alondra Morales in 20th (33:44.42) and Megan Martinez in 22nd (35:19.12).

 

In the men's race, Janek McLeod placed 17th in 32:41.96, running his strongest race of the season and moving up several positions in the second half of the hilly Finger Lakes course. Lukas Heerdt finished close behind in 19th with a time of 33:06.57, showing determination after turning his ankle early in the race.

 

"We talked a lot this week about how championship races are different from invitationals," said Head Coach Chris Muldoon. "We fought for position early and had some gutsy performances even when a few things didn't go our way. Compared to this same course earlier in the season, six of our runners collectively improved by more than 12 minutes. Now we have two weeks to recover, get healthy, and prepare for Nationals."

 

SUNY Erie cross country concludes its 2025 season at the NJCAA Division III National Championship in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on Saturday, November 8.