#5 Men's Cross Country Finishes Second at Monmouth

Fifth-Ranked Violets Led by Zitek in Season Opener

Zitek was top finisher for the Violets on Saturday.

Andrew Zitek was NYU's top finisher as the #5 Violets opened their 2010 season with a second-place finish at the Monmouth Cross Country Kickoff at Thompson Park in Lincroft, NJ, on Saturday, September 4.

Zitek was one of many NYU runners to post career-best times at the 6K distance. He covered the terrain in 18:57.2, finishing fifth overall and cutting more than a minute off his previous best (19:58.97).

NYU's other top-10 performer was Sebastian Schwelm, who finished 10th in a career-best time of 19:19.9. At the same meet last season, he covered the distance in 19:26.53.

"Our guys ran together for most of the race, but Zitek pulled ahead in the last 1,200 meters," explained NYU head coach Nick McDonough. "It was a good start for a team that's only been practicing for the last 4-5 days."

The next three scorers for the Violets all finished among the top-20. Ryan Boyd took 12th overall with a career-best 19:23.8. Matt Turlip was next for NYU, taking 15th place in 19:31.2, while Kevin Bonilla grabbed 17th place in a career-best time of 19:36.7.

Kyle DeLeon (25th place, 20:03.0) and David Knowles (30th place, 20:13.3) were next across the finish line for the Violets.

Overall, NYU totaled 55 points and placed behind the University of Albany (20 points) in the seven-team race. Five of the squads represented NCAA Division I institutions.

"It was a good day to see what kind of shape our people are in," McDonough concluded. "Now we go from here."

The Violets return to competition on Saturday, Sept. 18, at the Dickinson Long-Short Invitational in Carlisle, PA.