Complete Results
Skyline Conference Championship History
BETHPAGE, N.Y. I The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy men's and women's cross country teams swept championship Sunday today, taking both ends of the 2024 Skyline Conference Championship at Bethpage Polo at the Park.
It was the Mariners' fourth conference title in the last six seasons on the women's side, as they finished with a team score of 58 points, ahead of second place Maritime (70 points) and third place Mount Saint Mary (102). In the process, USMMA dethroned the second-place Privateers a year after they seized the crown from the Mariners in 2023.
As for the USMMA men, the Mariners kept rolling to the tune of six straight championships. The Mariners won the 2024 Skyline Championships, producing an astounding 21 team points ahead of second-place St. Joseph's-Long Island (62 points) and third-place Farmingdale State (84).
On the men's side, the Mariners boasted a total of seven All-Skyline performers in the meet, with four on the First Team with top-seven finishes and three more on the Second Team for finishing eighth-14th. Fifth-year head coach Kayla Koelbel was selected by her fellow conference coaches as the 2024 Skyline Coach of the Year, as it was a straight-sweep for Koelbel on the men's side and the women's side.
USMMA's Luke Zwiesler (below with Skyline Commissioner Melissa Reilly) was the individual champion in the 8K race, finishing the course in 25:43.3. Zwiesler earned the Skyline Runner of the Year Award during the post-meet awards ceremony. Teammate Silas Glynn finished in second place with a time of 26:46.7, while Pierce Murray and Alex Burita rounded out the Mariners' All-Skyline First Team runners with times of 27:23.9 and 27:24.4, good for fourth and fifth place, respectively.
-Photos: Jackie Rogers
Purchase's Bobby Royston finished third individually, while breakout newcomer Evan Skoblicki of St. Joseph's-Long Island finished sixth and captured Skyline Rookie of the Year honors as the top first-year finisher. Gabriel Aguilar of Farmingdale State rounded out the top seven performers on the men's side.
The top seven runners on each side received First Team All-Conference honors. The next seven runners received Second Team All-Conference recognition (details below).
On the women's side, tor the second-straight year, Katherine Kerchner (below with Reilly) was the individual champion of the 6K race, as she broke the tape in 23:35.0. With the first-place finish, USMMA's Kerchner earned Skyline Runner of the Year honors.
Teammate Victoria Crofford finished second with a time of 25:14.9, and rookie Morgan Doll produced USMMA's third top-10 finish, as she crossed the finish line in sixth place in 26:17.6.
With top-seven finishes on the day, Kerchner, Crofford and Doll all earned First Team All-Skyline accolades. Additionally, fifth-year coach Koelbel was selected by her peers as the Skyline Coach of the Year.
Purchase's Chloe McDonald took third and was followed by Yeshiva's Danielle Pancer, St. Joseph's-Long Island's Elizabeth Kurka in the top five, respectively. Purchase's Victor Vyssotski of Purchase and Mount Saint Mary's Michaela Stack completed the top seven runners for the women, earning First Team. Kurka's fifth-place finish was notable as she earned Skyline Rookie of the Year honors as the top first-year finisher on a beautiful day at Bethpage. The race itself was co-hosted by the conference and St. Joseph's-Long Island.
Kurka's teammate Caroline O'Dea (4.0 GPA) received the Skyline's Elite 19 Award, modeled off of the NCAA's Elite 90 Award – a new honor for the 2024-25 campaign and moving forward. It is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average competing in each of the Skyline's 19 championships. The men's honoree is Daniel Baldessarre (3.967 GPA) of Manhattanville.
The head coaches also announced their respective recipients for the All-Sportsmanship Team (below). The conference recognizes All-Sportsmanship Team members in all 19 of its championship sports, with each program announcing one recipient for his or her sportsmanlike demeanor – both in and out of competition.
2024 Skyline Conference Cross Country Championships
Men's
First Team All-Conference
Luke Zweisler, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Silas Glynn, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Bobby Royston, Purchase
Pierce Murray, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Alex Burita, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Evan Skoblicki, St. Joseph's-Long Island
Gabriel Aguilar, Farmingdale State
Second Team All-Conference
Joey DeMilio, Manhattanville
Michael Lyon, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Jack Lengyel, Farmingdale State
Jimmy Mintel, St. Joseph's-Long Island
Ryan Steinberg, St. Joseph's-Long Island
Ethan Alliot, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Alex Virostek, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
All-Sportsmanship Team
Jonathan Engelhardt, Farmingdale State
Zach Garrant, Manhattanville
Domenick Ribaudo, Maritime
Silas Glynn, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Joseph Carmona, Mount Saint Mary
William Staack, Mount Saint Vincent
Andy Lema, Old Westbury
Bobby Royston, Purchase
Noah Carey, Sarah Lawrence
Joshua Gordon, St. Joseph's-Brooklyn
Ethan Humin, St. Joseph's-Long Island
Avishye Moskowitz, Yeshiva
Runner of the Year: Luke Zweisler, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Rookie of the Year: Evan Skoblicki, St. Joseph's-Long Island
Coach of the Year: Kayla Koelbel, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Elite 19: Daniel Baldessarre, Manhattanville
Women's
First Team All-Conference
Katherine Kerchner, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Victoria Crofford, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Chloe McDonald, Purchase
Danielle Pancer, Yeshiva
Elizabeth Kurka, St. Joseph's-Long Island
Morgan Doll, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Victor Vyssotski, Purchase
Second Team All-Conference
Michaela Stack, Mount Saint Mary
Ali Xhafa, Sarah Lawrence
Alice Valenzuela, Farmingdale State
Aisling Donnelly, Maritime
Nicole Mejia, Maritime
Caitlin McCabe, Sarah Lawrence
Hannah Smith, Maritime
All-Sportsmanship Team
Kimberlyn David, Farmingdale State
Jennifer Oliveros, Manhattanville
Livia Malmsten, Maritime
Katherine Kerchner, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Michaela Stack, Mount Saint Mary
Sofia Macros, Mount Saint Vincent
Madison Danin, Old Westbury
Chloe McDonald, Purchase
Ali Xhafa, Sarah Lawrence
Lauren Van Der Kamp, St. Joseph's-Brooklyn
Emily Medina, St. Joseph's-Long Island
Danielle Pancer, Yeshiva
Runner of the Year: Katherine Kerchner, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Rookie of the Year: Elizabeth Kurka, St. Joseph's-Long Island
Coach of the Year: Kayla Koelbel, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Elite 19: Caroline O'Dea, St. Joseph's-Long Island
-With USMMA Sports Information