You would think being one of the 25 best runners in the Northeast Region would be an impressive achievement on its own.

But that’s old hat to Katie Radzik, who has accomplished this feat in 2006 for the second consecutive season. This weekend at the NCAA Northeast Regional, Radzik secured her second straight All-Northeast Cross Country honors by running a time of 22:14 on the 6,000-meter course at Van Cortland Park.

At the race, only the top 25 of the 228 runners in the field receive the recognition; Radzik just made the cut, finishing in 25th. She placed 23rd last year at the Northeast Regional.

Binghamton’s women’s cross country team placed 22nd out of 34 competing schools. Jamie Schulte was the Bearcats’ second runner, finishing 110th. The women’s team was without its No. 2 runner Kelda Nelson due to an injury, but despite being without Nelson, head coach Annette Acuff was extremely pleased with the team’s effort.

“Even without her we got 22nd,” Acuff said. “It goes to show that our top five ran really well. We could have moved down a couple of spots if she had run, but we want her healthy for the indoor season.”

The men’s team finished 23rd in the field of 34, with a surprising runner leading the team. Sophomore Adam Hill was the top finisher from Binghamton, placing 105th, while Chris Gaube, who has led the team in every race this season, finished second for Binghamton in 107th place. The last few seconds of the race were nail-biting, as the two Bearcats clawed for the top finish of their team. Hill came through first with a time of 34:30, besting Gaube’s 34:31.

Acuff said the exciting part of the two’s close finish was emphasized by how well the runners had run in comparison to the field.

“What was exciting was the fact that we got two guys that close to the top 100. It’s our highest finish as a team in the last few years at the Northeast Regional,” she said.

Overall, Acuff was thrilled with the performance of both sides.

“In general, both teams ran really well,” Acuff said. “It is our best meet as a team, both men and women, this year.”

The teams will conclude their seasons next Saturday, again at Van Cortland Park, this time for the ECAC/IC4A Championships. The race takes place at the same park but the courses will be different.