The Binghamton University cross country teams took part in their final races of the season at the IC4/ECAC championships held at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx on Saturday. The Bearcats competed in both men’s and women’s university races and were led by mostly freshmen, as has been the case most of the season.

‘We improved a lot as a team from last year, and considering our top kids are freshmen, this year was a great year,’ said head coach Annette Acuff. ‘It really shows our true talent as a team.’

Freshman Ashley Horton led the way again for the Bearcats and finished this year as the team’s top runner in every race. She placed fifth out of 213 runners with a time of 18:39. Her efforts paced Binghamton to a fifth-place finish out of 25 schools in the ECAC University race.

Acuff has continually echoed her praise on Horton’s efforts and is always impressed by her remarkable performances.

‘I was very pleased with her effort,’ Acuff said. ‘Her time and place were very competitive.’

Acuff also pointed out Horton’s amazing consistency all year.

‘She’s been very consistent and competitive, and I couldn’t have asked for more,’ she said. ‘Her consistency is great. I can’t say she has had even one poor meet all season.’

Teammate junior Katie Radzik, the defending champion of this race, picked up a 35th-place finish. Radzik has been dealing with health issues all season but has still managed to be a contributor to the program.

‘We were missing Renee Blair and Sarah Veith this weekend,’ Acuff said. ‘I think that explains our team’s finish; to have two of our top five out makes it difficult.’

The men’s team had a great performance and finished third out of 25 teams in the IC4 University race despite injuries to their top runners.

The team was led by junior Connor Martin, who crossed the finish line in 13th place, earning him All-East IC4 status. His time of 26:34 on the 8,000-meter course led the way. Sophomore Craig Coon placed 17th out of 211. Freshmen Casey Quaglia, Andrew Ugolino and Adam Quinn rounded out the BU top five.

‘It was probably Connor’s best performance of the year,’ Acuff said. ‘Coon had one of his strongest performances. I liked seeing them finish the year on such a strong note.’

A majority of both teams now turn to the upcoming track and field seasons. Most runners in cross country run year-round to stay in shape and represent the distance runners of track.

‘I couldn’t be more pleased with this year,’ Acuff said. ‘The transition [from high school to Division I] is not easy and it’s very difficult to predict what will happen. You don’t see what our freshmen [are able to do] very often.’

With both teams battling injuries that left freshmen at the wheels of both programs, the programs took steps toward becoming elite Northeast teams.

‘I’m really looking forward to next year with all of our potential,’ Acuff said. ‘We’re going to see if we can’t get into the top 15 of the Northeast on both the men’s and women’s sides.’