By: Draven Dabrowski
Sports Columnist
Winning a conference championship is difficult enough. Making it a yearly tradition is another challenge, but for the university’s men’s and women’s cross country teams, Saturday, Nov. 7 proved that winning has become the expectation.
Both programs captured NE10 Conference Championships on Nov. 7 at Bethpage State Park in Bethpage, New York, continuing their dominance in conference competition.
The women’s cross country team secured its second consecutive NE10 title and third in four seasons, finishing with 25 points. All five scoring runners placed inside the top 10.
PJ Dauphinais, a senior, led the Owls with a second place finish in the 6K race, recording a personal-best time of 21:42.4. Mckenzie David, a junior, followed closely behind in third, also setting a personal best at 21:48.7.
Erin Sola, a junior, finished fifth in 22:18.1, while Kaylee Gravel, a graduate, placed sixth in 22:32.5. Michelle Blackburn, a freshman, rounded out the teams scoring five, finishing ninth in 22:49.1 in her first conference championship appearance.
The victory continued the program’s success following its NE10 Triple Crown during the 2025-26 academic year.
The men’s cross country team extended its championship streak to five consecutive seasons, capturing its sixth NE10 title in program history with 41 points.
Colton Sallum, a sophomore, led the university by winning the individual 8K championship in 25:00.3, improving on his runner-up finish from last season.
Hayden Burke, a freshman, finished sixth in 26:10.1, followed by Dominic Lombardo, a freshman, in ninth at 26:17.5 and Breckin Burke, a freshman, in 12th at 26:22.1.
Dominic Tartarelli, a senior, completed the teams scoring five with a 13th place finish in 26:24.3, a significant improvement from his 109th place finish as a freshman.
Both cross country programs will compete at the NCAA Division II East Regional Championships on Nov. 21, looking to defend their regional titles.
Back at home, the volleyball team closed its regular season with a 3-0 sweep of Franklin Pierce University on Senior Night at Pelz Gymnasium.
The Owls improved to 17-7 overall and 6-3 in conference play, winning 27-25, 25-20 and 25-15 to secure the fourth seed in the upcoming NE10 Championship.
Outside hitter Kerrigan Habing, a junior, led her team with 10 kills, eight digs and two service aces. Outside hitter Aleciyah Brodley, a junior, contributed nine kills while hitting .643, and right side hitter Sydney Bennett, a graduate, added eight kills and five blocks.
Setter Kimi Mitchell, a sophomore, recorded 40 assists as the Owls finished with a .311 hitting percentage.
The team will host fifth-seeded Saint Anselm College in the NE10 Championship first round Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 5 p.m. Winner will go on to face Bentley University.
Meanwhile, both swimming and diving programs earned victories in Staten Island, New York.
The men’s team scored 202 points, led by multiple individual victories from Christian Garcia, a freshman, and Ben Frazer, a senior. Garcia won the 200-yard backstroke and 200-yard butterfly, while Frazer captured the 100-yard breaststroke and 100-yard freestyle.
Nathan Ivans, a sophomore, swept the 1-meter and 3-meter events, scoring 232.75 and 229.95 points, respectively.
The women’s team finished with 224 points behind a standout performance from Molly Kennedy, a senior, who won the 50-yard, 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle events.
Zoe McNeill, a senior, added a victory in the 200-yard backstroke, while Reegan Pasieka , a freshman, finished second in both diving events.
For the Owls, winning has become more than just a goal.
With both cross country programs adding to their championship streaks, the Owls have another opportunity to continue that tradition at the NCAA East Regional Championships on Nov. 21. Meanwhile, the volleyball team will look to carry its recent success into the NE10 postseason.
