It was a great first week of cross-country for the Brockport Golden Eagles as they swept the Empire 8 Runner of the Week awards. Earning the honors were Jared Smith on the men’s side and Mia Vizcaino for the women.
Smith earned the honors after finishing first at the Tom Balon Alumni Classic with a time of 15 minutes, 32.6 seconds. His performance also helped Brockport to a first-place finish overall.
“I think it’s pretty cool to always go out there and compete like that,” Smith said. “Getting the win and Runner of the Week is a cool blessing and I’m very lucky to have all of this. We got lucky with some pretty good weather, some nice course conditions and you never know who they’re going to pick for Runner of the Week. I probably don’t think it should have been me, but they picked me and I’m grateful.”
On the women’s side, Vizcaino was recognized after a fourth-place finish in the Alumni Classic while setting a new personal best of 19 minutes, 51.3 seconds. Along with Vizcaino, two other Brockport runners finished in the top 10 and eight finished in the top 20.
“I feel like it’s so hard to believe,” Vizcaino said. “I didn’t even think I was going to be competing this year because I just finished my undergrad, and I had graduate school to focus on, so I’m thinking I’m not competing. Then joining the team literally a week ago, I wasn’t expecting anything crazy, but I’m just so grateful for the journey. I feel like cross-country and me are not great friends, so it’s nice to feel like, okay I can do this. It’s hard, but we’re doing it and I’m doing it for myself and the team. It’s crazy, I’m still trying to grasp what actually happened. I still don’t believe it.”
The Golden Eagles have had a strong first week in their new conference, the Empire 8. The last time a school swept the Runner of the Week awards was Nazareth University back in October 2023.
“This is actually so rewarding,” Vizcaino said. “And knowing that me and Jared both got it, I’m thinking we’re on a good season. This season is going to be great. Even though it’s only September, knowing that we’re this unified and this strong early on, it’s so motivating and inspiring.”
Smith, Vizcaino and the rest of the Brockport Golden Eagles look to keep up the fast pace when they go on the road to the Yellow Jacket Invitational at the University of Rochester Sept. 21. The race is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.
