Championship Race Results
 
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks dynasty continued, winning the 2026 ECC Men’s Cross Country Championship on Saturday morning on its home course of Matt St. James Cross Country Trail in Rochester NY. The Redhawks captured an unprecedented 12^th straight ECC trophy, the second-most all-time, only trailing LIU Post’s 13 championships by just one.
 
Roberts once again displayed total dominance in the race, scoring an ECC-best 23 points and occupying eight of the top-14 finisher spots, highlighted by Individual Champion and ECC Men’s Most Outstanding Runner, Jackson Doran, who ran the 8k in a champion time of 24:59.7. In addition to Doran, the Redhawks had a quartet representing them on the All-Conference First Team, which included Trevor Heitkamp (4^th, 25:30.6), Jakob Zibbel (5^th, 25:31.5), Charlie Matzke (6^th, 25:31.8), and Vincent Ciraolo (7^th, 26:10.9). Adding to Roberts team total was Braden Fears (9^th, 26:25.3), Juvenal Diaz-Cortes (11^th, 26:41.5), Joel Amstutz (12^th, 26:50.9), and Garret Tracy (13^th, 26:59.0) who made up the All-Conference Second Team selections for the 2026 Champions.
 
It was another runner-up finish for Daemen, putting in a strong team effort and placing the second-most runners on All-Conference Teams behind the Redhawks. The Wildcats collected 52 points behind individual runner-up and All-Conference Frist Team member Ethan Keating who tapped the finish pad at 25:13.3, while CJ Johnson (8^th, 26:25.1) and Simon Evans (14^th, 27:07.8) landed on the Second Team.
 
ECC Most Outstanding Rookie and All-Conference Second Team honoree, Jack Bowman (10^th, 26:26.0) helped lead St. Thomas Aquinas to a third place team finish with a total of 104 points, while his Spartan teammate Ronaldo Rodriguez-Perez (27:11.7) who just missed out on an All-Conference spot by finishing in 15^th place also contributed to the team’s success.
 
Coming in fourth on the team leaderboard was Molloy, which boasted the third place individual finisher on the day in Peter Bagattine who clocked in at 25:26.4 to earn All-Conference First Team status.
 
 
At the conclusion of the day when awards were being distributed, Roberts Wesleyan head coach Andrew Dorr received 2026 ECC Men’s Coach of the Year accolades. This marked the 13^th consecutive year Dorr has claimed the award. Men's Team Results
1. Roberts Wesleyan - 23 points
2. Daemen - 52 points
3. St. Thomas Aquinas - 104 points
4. Molloy - 112 points
5. Staten Island - 128 points
6. D’Youville - 161 points
7. Queens - 165 points

Men's Cross Country All-Conference First Team
Jackson Doran, Roberts Wesleyan, 24:59.7
Ethan Keating, Daemen, 25:13.3
Peter Bagattine, Molloy, 25:26.4
Trevor Heitkamp, Roberts Wesleyan, 25:30.6
Jakob Zibbel, Roberts Wesleyan, 25:31.5
Charlie Matzke, Roberts Wesleyan, 25:31.8
Vincent Ciraolo, Roberts Wesleyan, 26:10.9

Men's Cross Country All-Conference Second Team
CJ Johnson, Daemen, 26:25.1
Braden Fears, Roberts Wesleyan, 26:25.3
Jack Bowman, St. Thomas Aquinas, 26:26.0
Juvenal Diaz-Cortes, Roberts Wesleyan, 26:41.5
Joel Amstutz, Roberts Wesleyan, 26:50.9
Garret Tracy, Roberts Wesleyan, 26:59.0
Simon Evans, Daemen, 27:07.8

Men's Cross Country Individual Champion and Most Outstanding Runner - Jackson Doran, Roberts Wesleyan
Men's Cross Country Most Outstanding Rookie - Jack Bowman, St. Thomas Aquinas
Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year - Andrew Dorr, Roberts Wesleyan
Men's Cross Country Elite Award - Brad Tobin, Daemen
 
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Founded as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference in 1989 and rechristened the East Coast Conference in July 2006, the ECC was formed to enhance intercollegiate athletic competition among member institutions and to assist them in integrating athletics into their academic program in a fiscally sound way. The ECC is committed to the highest standards of scholarship, sportsmanship, teamwork, and citizenship. Its mission is to promote the total person concept in its student-athletes, which stresses the abilities to excel in academic achievement, athletic competition, and positive character traits. East Coast Conference members include: Daemen University (Amherst, N.Y.); University of the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.); D'Youville University (Buffalo, N.Y.); Mercy University (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.); Molloy University (Rockville Centre, N.Y.); Queens College (Flushing, N.Y.); Roberts Wesleyan University (Rochester, N.Y.); College of Staten Island (Staten Island, N.Y.); and St. Thomas Aquinas College (Sparkill, N.Y.). The ECC also is home to 13 associate members in the sports of women’s bowling (3), men’s and women’s indoor track & field (3), men's volleyball (2), field hockey (1), and men’s lacrosse (1).

The ECC sponsors the following championship sports: baseball; men’s and women’s basketball; women's bowling; men’s and women’s cross country; field hockey; men’s and women’s lacrosse; men’s and women’s indoor track and field; men’s and women’s outdoor track and field; men’s and women’s soccer; softball; and men's and women’s volleyball.
 
The East Coast Conference is a proud member of the NCAA and Division II. Division II is a dynamic and engaging group of colleges, institutions and conferences of varying sizes and educational missions. Division II members encourage and support diversity; value sportsmanship, fairness and equity; and place the highest priority on the overall educational excellence of the student-athlete.