2025 Roster
2025 Schedule

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's cross country team will begin its season tomorrow, Saturday, Aug. 30, when it hosts the 43rd-annual Cardinal Classic at 11 a.m.

Nathan Petesch begins his first year as head coach of the program and will look to compete for a top finish at the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championships this year after the team took home a fifth-place finish last year. This year, the Cardinals will race at their home course of Rugar Woods in Plattsburgh, N.Y., for the SUNYAC Championships, a course the returners know well, and the newcomers will get to know as the Cardinals host two races at home before SUNYACs. The team will also have the opportunity to preview the NCAA Regionals course.

"The team is showing that they're hungry and excited to get after it," said Petesch. "With the mix of seasoned veterans and talented newcomers, we're focusing on building that team dynamic & gaining confidence from week to week. We want to be at our best in the biggest moments & compete with heart when the championship season arrives."

After the departure of All-SUNYAC runner Michael Brockway, the Cardinals will look to an experienced group of returners to emerge as top runners. Junior Zander Brown (Wappingers Falls, N.Y. / Roy C. Ketcham) and senior Jack Natali Jr. (Clayton, N.Y. / Thousand Islands) were both competing to round off the Cardinals' top seven runners last year. They will now look to move into the scoring group.

Other notable returners for Plattsburgh State include juniors Nate Alexander (Marcellus, N.Y. / Marcellus) and Matthias Lauvau (Rye, N.Y. / Rye Neck), who both competed at the SUNYAC Championship last season.

Senior Samuel Van Auken (Greenville, N.Y. / Greenville) competed for the track and field team last year, earning silver in the 10,000-meter race, and will join the cross country team for the 2025 season. First-years Samson Allen (New Hartford, N.Y. / New Hartford), Michael Ayala (New Paltz, N.Y. / New Paltz), Griffin Leary (Pearl River, N.Y. / Clarkstown South), Bryton Mandigo (Hartford, N.Y. / Hartford), Brennan Muecke (Bemus Point, N.Y. / Maple Grove), Jackson Morse (Niskayuna, N.Y. / Niskayuna), and sophomore Brody Serfass (Endwell, N.Y. / Maine Endwell) all join the Cardinals for the first time in the 2025 season.