ONEONTA, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State men's cross country team kicked off postseason action at the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championships on Saturday afternoon at Fortin Park. Following an eighth-place finish last season, the Cardinals entered the race looking to improve upon that result and did just that with a fifth-place finish.

Senior Zander Brown (Wappingers Falls, N.Y./Roy C. Ketcham) led the Cardinals to a fifth-place team finish, improving their standing by three places from last season and recording the highest placement under Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Nathan Petesch. Brown was Plattsburgh's top runner, placing 19th in 27:02.0. Not far behind was graduate student Samuel Van Auken (Greenville, N.Y./Greenville), who finished 22nd with a time of 27:05.1.

Junior Brody Serfass (Endwell, N.Y./Maine-Endwell) followed in 29th, crossing the line in 27:25.5, while first-year Sean Dormann (Saranac, N.Y./Saranac) placed 37th in 27:44.3. Sophomore Bryton Mandigo (Hartford, N.Y./Hartford) rounded out the Cardinals' scoring lineup in 40th with a time of 28:01.8.

The next Cardinals to cross the line were sophomore Brennan Muecke (Bemus Point, N.Y./Maple Grove) and seniors Matthias Lauvau (Rye, N.Y./Rye Neck) and Nate Alexander (Marcellus, N.Y./Marcellus). Muecke finished 45th in 28:14.0, followed by back-to-back finishes from Lauvau in 51st (28:26.7) and Alexander in 52nd (28:27.2).

Cortland claimed the SUNYAC team championship with a score of 40, while Oswego State's Noah Melita captured the individual title, finishing first in 25:51.0.

Postseason action continues for Plattsburgh State as the Cardinals return to competition 13 days later for the NCAA Division III Mideast Region Championships on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Wickham Park in Hartford, Conn., hosted by Trinity College.