CROSS COUNTRY NOTEBOOK
The University of Vermont men's and women's cross country teams kick off the postseason Saturday (Nov. 2) at the America East Championships in Albany, New York.
 
The championship meet is schedule to start a 9:45 a.m. on the UAlbany Great Danes campus with the women's 5k race, followed by the men's 8k at 10:45 a.m. Fans who are unable to make the trip to Albany can stream both races live on AmericaEast.TV.

RELATED LINKS
America East Championship Central
Women's 5k – Watch | Live Results | Course Map
Men's 8k – Watch | Live Results | Course Map

COACH'S QUOTE
"We're very excited about the championships this weekend," said head coach Matt Belfield. "The men and women are well-prepared and have shown their ability to compete successfully at big meets throughout the year. There is quiet confidence throughout the ranks - we expect successful racing for sure."

SCOUTING THE FIELD
Nine teams represent the full America East field as Vermont has its sights on New Hampshire and Stony Brook this weekend.
 
New Hampshire is the highest ranked America East team in the Northeast Regional poll conducted by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Wildcats are eighth in the region with the Catamounts closely behind in 12th. UNH has had three different runners earn America East Female Performer of the Week honors, but UAlbany's Hannah Reinhardt has garnered four weekly awards and enters Saturday's race as the defending champion.
 
Stony Brook headlines the men's field after receiving votes in the recent national poll by the USTFCCCA. The Seawolves currently sit third in the Northeast Regional rankings, which is ahead of UMass Lowell (8th) and New Hampshire (15th) as the only other America East schools ranked in the region. Four different Seawolves have earned Male Performer of the Week honors from the conference with Vann Moffett and Cameron Avery both getting the award twice.

A LOOK AT THE CATAMOUNT WOMEN
The Vermont women will be represented by six sophomores, two juniors, and two seniors on Saturday at UAlbany. Sophomore Bel Sogoloff has been the Catamounts' front-runner in two of her four races this season and finished second behind Phoebe Koski in the Fall Foliage Invitational (Oct. 19). Koski ran a personal-best time of 17:52.6 to win and lead the Catamounts to their second victory of the season. Annemarie Martell enters the championships after earning All-Conference Second Team honors a season ago. The UVM women have beaten 57 Division I teams they've faced this season. Click here to see the list of 10 women running for the Catamounts tomorrow.

THE VERMONT MEN REPRESENTATIVES
Five seniors, three juniors, one sophomore, and one freshman make up the men's roster. A member of the All-Conference Second Team a season ago, John Benner has been the Catamounts' top runner this season. The senior captain opened up the season with a victory at Hard'Ack Recreation Area in St. Albans and was Vermont's front-runner in all four races he was in. At the Paul Short Invitational, Benner ran at a historic pace to lead the Catamounts. The UVM men have bested 41 Division-I team this season. Click here to see the list of 10 men representing Vermont tomorrow.
 
LAST YEAR'S CHAMPIONSHIP | Recap
Five Catamounts won America East honors in last year's conference championship as Vermont men's and women's cross country ran through the wind and rain in Nashua, New Hampshire.
 
The UVM women finished third behind UAlbany and Stony Brook. Lauren Trumble '19 ran a career-best 5k time to finish fourth overall and Annemarie Martell joined her as one of four UVM women to earn All-Conference honors.
 
John Benner earned All-Conference honors from his ninth-place overall finish to pace the Catamounts who came in fourth at the conference championship. Tyler Marshall, Neville Caulfield, and Jack Carmody join Benner as tomorrow's runners who placed for Vermont a season ago. Click here for a full recap of last year's championship.
 
COACH BELFIELD ON CATAMOUNT INSIDER | Spotify or Apple
Head coach Matt Belfield joined Michael Lehr on the Catamount Insider podcast last week to preview the upcoming America East Championship. Belfield also reviewed the cross country season to-date and talked about the state of the program. The Catamount Insider, presented by Milton CAT, can be heard on the radio locally through AM 620 and FM 96.3 on Thursdays at 6 p.m. or whenever on Spotify or Apple.