WATERFORD, Conn. – Senior Ryan Russell took 10th place individually to lead the Union College men's cross country team to a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships, hosted by Connecticut College at Harkness State Park on Saturday afternoon.
 
As a team, Union earned its second-straight top-10 regional finish, finishing with 283 points to end the day seven points back of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in ninth place and 28 points clear of Connecticut College in 11th place.
 
Russell added another excellent run to his senior-year ledger, taking nearly 30 seconds off his regional time from last season and moving 21 spots up the leaderboard with a time of 24:45.70 that earned him All-Region honors for the second straight season. Russell will likely be the third or fourth individual qualifier from the region and will advance to next week's NCAA Division III Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.
 
The senior spent most of the race in the top-six, beginning with a 4:51.1 opening mile that put him in sixth place. He moved all the way up to fourth by the two-mile mark, checking in at 9:45.2, before settling into the lower half of the top-10 for the remainder of the race.

"I am very happy with the results today, said Russell after the race. "The team did fantastic and it was all worth the hard work we put in all year long. I am very excited to see what we can accomplish as a team during indoor and outdoor track, and I am looking forward to next weekend in Indiana."

Classmate Ben Neff also made his case for the NCAA Championships with an All-Region run of his own, placing 27th out of 172 runners with a time of 25:19.80. The senior will have to wait until individual qualifiers are announced on Sunday afternoon to learn if his finish was good enough to book a spot at nationals.
 
Sophomore Bretton Garrick led a pack of three Garnet Chargers that finished within 10 spots of each other to round out the scoring, crossing the line in 27:03.2 to place 78th overall. Senior Thomas Breimer took 83rd place by traversing the course in 27:11.3, followed by junior Will Plante taking 88th with a time of 27:23.6.

"I am proud of our seniors for their hard work and growth over the last four years," said head coach Laura Nardelli. "They did an amazing job rising to the occasion and coming through today. Truly, some of the best talent, as well as leaders - both by example and by actions - that I have ever coached. Also kudos to assistant Chris Collier for being in charge of this distance group for the last three years; he has constructed a culture that is destined for success for years to come."
 
While at least Russell heads to the LaVern Gibson XC Course in Terre Haute next Saturday, the remainder of the Garnet Chargers will have a few weeks to prepare for the start of indoor track & field season, which begins on December 7 at the Utica Holiday Classic.
 
Complete Union Results:
Ryan Russell – 24:25.70 (10th)
Ben Neff – 25:19.8 (27th)
Bretton Garrick – 27:03.2 (78th)
Thomas Breimer – 27:11.3 (83rd)
Will Plante – 27:23.6 (88th)
Liam Fitzgibbon – 27:59.5 (110th)
Michael Fitzmaurice – 28:25.7 (123rd)