FREDONIA, N.Y. – It is not often that we are gifted the opportunity to see greatness in its purest form, but I was able to watch
Alexander Badami '26 and the rest of the Hamilton College men place fourth out of 22 teams in the 2024 NCAA Division III Niagara Regional Championships at the Fredonia State University Cross Country Course on Saturday, Nov. 16.
Jumping and sticking in the front pack right off the gun, Badami placed 13th out of 167 finishers with an 8-kilometer time of 25:29.4, and set the tone for the Continentals' good day. Next came
Jack Quinn '27 in 32nd place and a time of 26:28.9, right ahead of
Edward Trenk '25 who closed in 26:29.4 and finished 33
rd. The two ran together the entirety of the race, never getting more than a few seconds apart.
Competing in their first regional race,
Benjamin Habler '28 and
Brady Armstrong '28 ran the race nearly stride for stride and finished 40th and 41
st, respectively, with times of 26:42.7 and 26:42.8. It should be noted that Hamilton's sixth man
Liam Card '27 posted a time of 26:46.1 and finished right behind Armstrong, demonstrating the depth of this team.
The Continentals ended up with 159 points. New York University captured the team title with 29 points and secured an NCAA automatic bid. SUNY Geneseo took second place with 30 points and SUNY Brockport was third with 86.
The NCAA championship selections will be released on Sunday, Nov. 17. The championship race will be at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind., on Saturday, Nov. 23, beginning at noon.
