CANTON, N.Y. – On Saturday, Nov. 15, the Plattsburgh State men's cross country team will compete at the NCAA Division III Mideast Region Championships hosted by St. Lawrence at the Ronald C. Hoffmann Cross Country Course. The eight-kilometer men's race is set to begin at 11 a.m.

ABOUT THE 2024 NCAA DIVISION III MIDEAST REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS: Last year, Plattsburgh finished 15th overall with 440 points at the NCAA Division III Mideast Region Championships.

RPI had five runners in the top 10 and captured the title with 29 points.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS: Plattsburgh State has been paced all year by the one-two punch of junior Zander Brown (Wappingers Falls, N.Y. / Roy C. Ketcham) and senior Jack Natali Jr. (Clayton, N.Y. / Thousand Islands), who have finished as either the first or second runner for Plattsburgh on multiple occasions. Brown led the pack with four top finishes this season, while Natalir Jr. followed closely, placing second in three races and adding one top finish of his own. Junior Matthias Lauvau (Rye, N.Y. / Rye) was the top finisher in one race this season and finished as the second runner across in one race as well.

At the SUNYAC Championships two weeks ago, Brown fueled the Cardinals to an eighth-place finish after leading the team with a time of 28:13.1 (38th). Lauvau was the second runner across, notching a new personal best time of 28:26.5 (44th).

The Cardinals have received constant scoring from junior Nate Alexander (Marcellus, N.Y. / Marcellus), first-year Jackson Morse (Niskayuna, N.Y. / Niskayuna), and sophomore transfer Brody Serfass (Endwell, N.Y. / Maine-Endwell), who have all scored in at least three of Plattsburgh's six races, while Alexander and Serfass have both scored in five. At the conference championships, Alexander and Serfass both scored for the Cardinals, with Serfass being the number three runner across, and Alexander rounding out the scoring group as the number five runner across.

The first-year pairing of Michael Ayala (New Paltz, N.Y. / New Paltz) and Bryton Mandigo (Hartford, N.Y. / Hartford Central) adds depth to the team's scoring lineup as both will look to improve their times and improve Plattsburgh's score with their finishes. In their SUNYAC debut, Mandigo finished in 30:06.2 (74th) and Ayala 32:08.4 (91st).

ABOUT THE HOFFMANN INVITATIONAL: On Saturday, Sept. 20, Plattsburgh State competed in the Hoffman Invitational hosted by St. Lawrence, where they had a chance to preview the eight-kilometer championship course. Lauvau led the way for Plattsburgh with a time of 29:25.5 (91st), and right behind him was Brown with a mark of 29:26.8 (92nd). Alexander, Ayala, Mandigo, Morse, Natali Jr., and Serfass all ran the eight-kilometer course as well.

Head coach Nathan Petesch will lead the Cardinals into the NCAA Division III Mideast Region Championships for the first time in his inaugural season at Plattsburgh. With a strong blend of veteran leadership and emerging talent, the Cardinals are ready to take advantage of their second appearance on the Ronald C. Hoffmann Cross Country Course this season.