TROY, N.Y. – Union College senior men’s cross country runner Ryan Russell earned his program’s first weekly Performer of the Week honor since 2017 to highlight three individual accolades and seven honor roll mentions from the Liberty League for the week ending September 22.
Men’s Cross Country Performer of the Week: Ryan Russell
Russell is the first Union men’s cross country runner to earn Runner of the Week since Arden Kellner ’19 in 2017 after earning his second individual win of the season to pace the field and guide the Union College men’s cross country team to a fifth-place finish at a highly-competitive Cardinal Invitational hosted by Wesleyan University on Saturday. The senior finished first in a field of 114 runners with a personal best time of 24:45.21 in the 8K, almost 13 seconds faster than Amherst College’s Harrison Dow and the fastest 8k time for a Union runner since at least 1993. The field included two USTFCCCA nationally ranked teams (#14 Amherst and #21 Tufts) and six teams in the USTFCCCA Regional Rankings, including Union.
Men’s Tennis Rookie of the Week: Jesus Sosa
Sosa earned a pair of victories in Union’s only match of the week, a 6-1 win over Farmingdale State on Saturday. The first-year teamed up with Ben Jacobs for a 6-1 first-doubles win to start the day, and then was the first singles match off the court with a pair of 6-1 sets to beat Ryan Hendel at the third flight.
Women’s Tennis Rookie of the Week: Samantha Jacobs
Jacobs earns Rookie of the Week honors for the second time this season after picking up a pair of wins to earn a spot in the Round of 16 at the ITA Northeast Regionals over the weekend. The first-year took a pair of 6-2 sets from St. Lawrence’s Yvette Karera in the first round, then knocked off Madison Kirby of Vassar College by a 6-4, 6-2 score in the second round to stay alive. The only Garnet Charger to come back for Sunday’s second day, she came up one break short in a 6-4 first set against Skidmore’s Ella Provost before dropping a 6-1 second set.
Honor Roll Mentions:
Women’s Cross Country: Cat Dacey
Dacey finished fifth in a 129-runner field as the women’s cross country team finished eighth at the very competitive Cardinal Invitational hosted by Wesleyan University on Saturday afternoon. Dacey earned the third top-five finish of her senior campaign…
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