ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The RIT men's cross country team opens the 2025 season at Brockport's Tom Balon Alumni Classic this Saturday (Sep. 6). Here are six things you need to know about the squad.
 
LAST SEASON
The Tigers placed fifth at the NCAA Division III Niagara Region Championships in 2024, improving on their sixth-place result in 2023. RIT also improved at the Liberty League Championships, placing fourth out of nine teams compared to finishing fifth at the conference race in 2023.  
 
NO SLOWIN' KOEN
Senior Derick Koen made his second trip to the NCAA Division III National Championship in 2024. As a sophomore, Koen placed 197th out of 294 runners with a time of 26.02.4.
 
NOTABLE RETURNERS
The Tigers return four of their top five runners from last season's squad that placed fifth at the Niagara Regional Championship. Out of the runners who scored in that race, Koen, Evan Owens, Brandon Blandino, and Nate Flaherty all make their return.
 
NEW FACES
This season's roster includes seven first-years as well as a pair of transfers. Senior Andy Freeman joins RIT after competing for three seasons at Rochester, as junior Sebastian Montalvo spent two years at Muhlenberg. Calvin Barrett, Rhett Breslawski, Ryan Britschge, Matthew Monnes, Jedrek Sneary, Luca Strangis, and Trennan Tewksbury make up the incoming class.

CLOSE TO HOME
The Tigers will compete close to home for this year's NCAA Division III Niagara Regional Championships, which will be held at nearby Genesee Valley Park. Hosted by the University of Rochester, the championship race is scheduled for Saturday, November 15.

2025 SCHEDULE
The Tigers open the season on Saturday (Sep. 6) at Brockport's Tom Balon Alumni Classic. RIT competes in Rochester's Yellowjacket Invitational on Sep. 20 followed by Roberts Wesleyan's Harry F. Anderson Invitational on Sep. 27. October kicks off with the team travelling to Fredonia to race in the Kara Hall Memorial Invitational on Oct. 4, before taking part in Houghton's Highlander Invitational on Oct. 11.

The regular season concludes with the Oberlin Inter-Regional Rumble on October 18 in Ohio. Championship season begins on Nov. 1 with the Liberty League Championships in Canton, N.Y. Two weeks later, the NCAA Division III Niagara Region Championships will be held at Genesee Valley Park in Rochester on Nov. 15. The Division III National Championship will be held at the Roger Milliken Center in Spartanburg, S.C., on Saturday, Nov. 22.