Alfred, NY- The Alfred State Men's and Women's cross-country teams are lacing up for another exciting fall, ready to build momentum and push the pace in 2025. With a mix of returning standouts and fresh new talent, the Pioneers enter the season hungry to compete, improve, and make their mark in the conference.
 
Head Coach, Tim Giagios is excited to have a strong group of returners ready to set the pace for this upcoming season:
"The entire core of the Men's program is returning this year. Last year's Newcomer of the Year Christian Wescott leads the team along with All-Conference Teammates Max Knight and Mamadou Barry. Freshman Carson Hulka and Andrew Coriaty will bring up the level of competitiveness as well".
Wescott returns eager to top his previous bests, as he ran a fastest time of 16:50.2 in the 5k and a 21:06.4 in the 6K. His personal 8K best was ran at the NCAA Division 3 Niagara Region Cross Country Championships with a time of 27:03.9.
 
Knight and Barry are also standouts on the course for the Pioneers. Alongside Wescott, Knight also notched his personal 8K best at the NCAA D3 Niagara Region championships with a time of 27:26.7.
 
As for the Women's team, "It's nice to return 3 All-Conference Runners - Champion Hailey Kumpf, Oli Kraynik, and Ava Sylvester. We added a couple new faces that will add some depth to the program. Staying healthy is always key, and by doing so, this women's team can contend with (last year's Champion) PSU again" says Giagios.
 
Kumpf locked down the 2024 AMCC Conference title where she crossed the line first with an impressive time of 27.07.4. Kraynik notched her personal best at the NCAA D3 Niagara Region championships with an impressive 6K time of 24:24.8. Sylvester hit hers at the SUNY Geneseo Mike Woods Invitational with another standout time of 26:25.7.
 
ASC will ignite their 2025 season as they head over to Brockport, NY for the Tom Bolon Alumni Classic on Sept. 6^th. On Sept. 20^th they will travel to Rochester, NY for the Yellow Jacket Invitational where they will compete against Alfred University in the inaugural Alfred Cup. Following that weekend, they will return to Rochester for the Harry F. Anderson Invitational on the 27^th. They will then head over to Houghton for the Highlander Invitational on Oct. 11^th. The Canisius Alumni Classic is next as they hit the road to Buffalo, NY on the 18^th.
 
On the first of November, the Pioneers will travel to Erie, PA for the AMCC Championships where they will compete for that first-place title. Later in Nov., they head back to Rochester for the NCAA Niagara Regional Championships on the 15^th. To close out their season, they will travel down south to Spartanburg, SC for the NCAA Cross-Country Championships on Nov. 22^nd.
 
Giagios and his teams are pumped up for the start of the 2025 season and are looking forward to hitting the trails soon.