Senior Adam Merkwan (Meredith, NH) and sophomore Victoria Hathaway (Stillwater, NY) each came away with salutatorian honors for the Clarkson University Cross Country team as the duo's second-place showings helped the Golden Knights to an impressive showing at the Cross Country-Only Championships at Seneca Lake State Park on Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Knights' men won the event with a team-low 27 points, less than half of second place SUNY ESF (59) and ahead of Hartwick (85), Hobart (126), Penn State-Altoona (152), SUNYIT (162), Morrisville State (177), D'Youville (232), Medaille (274), Potsdam State (284), SUNY Canton (328), Keuka (351), Cazenovia (352), and Wells (360). The Clarkson women came in second in a tight three-way battle near the top. Clarkson (58) trailed only SUNY ESF (47), but finished ahead of William Smith (64), Penn State-Altoona (159), Cazenovia (170), Hartwick (173), Keuka (220), Wells (245), SUNY Canton (266), Morrisville State (270), Medaille (278), Hilbert (285), Potsdam State (302), and D'Youville (326).

Merkwan finished 27 seconds off the pace in second place among 144 runners with a time of 27 minutes, 1.7 seconds in the 8,000-meter event for an average of a 5:27 mile, leading a strong group of competitors for that next spot, especially among Clarkson participants. The Knights had seven of the top 12 runners (and nine of the top 18), with that seventh runner finishing only 24 seconds behind Merkwan. Senior Ryan Ash (Glens Falls, NY) took fourth among the group, finishing in 27:06.3 (5:28 mile) and classmate Austin Holbrook (Corning, NY) crossed the finish line in sixth place with a time of 27:13.6. Sophomore Lukas Patrizio (Port Chester, NY) and junior Jacob Dowman (Essex, VT) were neck-and-neck at the finish line with Patrizio edging Dowman by three-tenths of a second at 27:17.6 in seventh place, with Dowman taking eighth. Freshman Taylor Fenoff (Saratoga Springs, NY) and junior Ryan Recchia (Latham, NY) added to the Clarkson domination by coming in ninth and 12th, respectively, while two more freshmen, AJ Beers (Central Square, NY) and Kris Lizins (Elverson, PA) placed 14th and 18th, respectively.

For the women, Hathaway was close to the top runner for the day, finishing less than 11 seconds behind the leader for second place among 132 participants with a time of 19:28.6, an average of 6:17 in the 5,000-meter race. Senior Sarah Governale (Wading River, NY) crossed the line three runners late in fifth overall in an even 20 minutes, averaging 6:27 per mile. Freshman Tara Seigle (Poland, NY) and junior Lindsey McCormick (Gouverneur, NY) were less than five seconds apart, taking 12th and 14th, respectively, with Seigle finishing in 20:34.8 and McCormick closing in 20:39.2. Junior Chelsea Farinacci (Huntington, NY) closed out the Clarkson scoring in 25th in 20:56.6. Junior Allie Day (North Yarmouth, ME) and classmate Meaghan McKenna (Hamburg, NY) also finished in the top 35 for the day.