The New York University men's cross country team successfully defended its title at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship, which was held on Saturday, November 1, in Edwardsville, IL.

The Violets, currently ranked #6 in the nation, totaled 27 points to easily out-distance second-place #9 University of Chicago (50).

Three NYU runners finished among the top four, with all five scorers placing within the top 11.

Leading the pack was freshman Theodore Udelson-Nee, who took the individual title with a time of 24:49.6 over the 8k course. He edged Carnegie Mellon University's Ryan Podnar at the wire, winning by just .3 seconds. Udelson-Nee is the first Violet to win the individual title since Zach Maher in 2009.   

"The men ran a tremendous pack-focused race today," explained Associate Head Coach Nic Jacobsen. "I am really proud of their execution and poise on the conference stage; especially for Theo to get the individual title as a freshman."

Next up for NYU were Liam Hagerty and Andrew Taylor, finishing third and fourth, respectively, with times of 24:57.8 and 24:59.9.

Huckleberry Oakes was another top-10 finisher for the Violets, claiming eighth place in 25:06.8.

NYU's fifth scorer was Alex Hrycysyzn, who finished 11th (25:10.5).

Overall 77 runners completed the race in the eight-team competition.

The UAA title is the second consecutive for NYU and the sixth in program history (the Violets won four straight from 2006-09).

"We are very much looking forward to carrying the momentum from today into the regional and national championships," Jacobsen added.
 
The Violets return to action at the NCAA Niagara Regional Championship on Saturday, November 15, in Rochester, NY.