Cross Country Teams Start 2025 Strong at LIU Fall Festival
Numerous PRs and a school record highlighted the day as the women's squad finished third and the men in fourth.
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – The University of Bridgeport's cross country teams began their 2025 seasons on Saturday morning at the LIU Fall Festival in Brookville, N.Y. Numerous PRs and a school record highlighted the day as the women's squad finished third and the men in fourth.
MEN'S RECAP (4th Place, 8K)
In a dazzling debut for the Purple Knights, Toby Middleton already etched his name into the record books. The senior transfer broke the school's 8K mark in his very first race wearing the UB colors, crossing the line in 27:21.5. His brilliant effort earned him an eighth-place overall finish, standing tall as the top competitor outside the DI ranks.
Sophomore Edoardo Vandelli, who served as Bridgeport's top finisher at each of their races last year, followed with a 13th-place effort (27:57.5).
Freshman Alex Sanchez filled the third slot for the Purple Knights, coming in 25th with a time just under 30 minutes (29:58.6).
Sophomore Austin Wagoner and junior Nick Migliarese rounded out the scoring pack for Bridgeport with respective finishes of 43rd (39:18.9) and 48th (51:19.4).
WOMEN'S RECAP (3rd Place, 5K)
Sophomore Stephanie Lickteig, who led UB at last year's CACC Championship, was once again at the forefront to begin this year. The Milford, CT native raced to a new PR and a 17th-place finish in a time of 22:02.0.
Senior Julia Fortune, Bridgeport's top racer at last season's NCAA regional, followed closely with a PR mark of her own (22:33.4) to place 20th.
Graduate student Marcela Bañuelos added to the scoring pack with a 26th-place showing in 23:13.8 while fellow graduate student Anna-Mae Nellis turned in a 34th-place performance in 25:04.7.
Samantha Rodriguez closed out Bridgeport's top five with a 40th-place time of 35:18.7.
UP NEXT
The Purple Knights will compete at Vassar's Ron Stonitsch Invitational next Saturday (Sept. 13).