Men's Cross Country | Oct 21, 2017

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Saint Leo sophomore Ronald Cheserek claimed the individual crown at the 2017 Sunshine State Conference Cross Country Championship on Saturday at Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park, winning the men's 8K race for the second year-in-a-row.

However four of the nine runners immediately following Cheserek wore the blue and red of Florida Southern, allowing the Mocs to break Saint Leo's three-year grip on the SSC team crown by winning the 2017 championship.

Saint Leo finished second with 61 points, with four Lions finishing among the top 20. Florida Southern tallied 42 points in the top spot, while SSC newcomer Embry-riddle was third with 65 points just four points behind Saint Leo. Tampa also placed three runners among the top 20 and was fourth with 89 points.

Cheserek finished with a time of 25:33.41 in windy conditions, six seconds ahead of second-place finisher Bobby Ormsby from Florida Southern. Saint Leo senior Anthony Deleva was third with a time of 25:43.42.

Cheserek's second straight conference title marked the fifth consecutive year that a Saint Leo runner has won the SSC individual championship, following previous SSC champions Carl Dunne (2013), Niclas Bez (2014), and Valentin Lenz (2015).

Freshman Tadgh McGinty was 16th overall and third among Saint Leo finishers with a time of 26:58.10, while senior Joseph Fuller was 17th overall after crossing in 26:58.91. Graduate student Joshua Sickinger was the fifth Saint Leo scoring runner with his 24th-place finish in a time of 27:19.70.

Sophomore Tyler Pantley (28:13.38) was 36th overall, 34th in points, and was the sixth runner across for the Lions while freshman Ethan Markey (28:26.64) was 43rd overall, 36th in points, and was the Lions' seventh finisher.

Freshman Hunter Chavis crossed 48th overall with a time of 28:45.67.

Saint Leo's focus now shifts to earning a fifth-straight appearance in the NCAA championship. That qualifying process takes place in two weeks at the NCAA South Region Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 4, at Holloway Park in Lakeland, Fla.

The 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships are slated for Saturday, Nov. 18, in Evansville, Ind., at Angel Mounds State Park.

For the latest news, updates, and information on Saint Leo men's cross country and track sure to visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.