Men's Cross Country | March 5, 2021

MECHANICSVILLE, Va. – La Salle men's cross country senior Luke Jaciw-Zurakowsky was named Most Outstanding Performer as he won the individual title at the Atlantic 10 Cross Country Championships on Friday at Pole Green Park.

"It's a special moment for any coach to see an athlete achieve something they have worked tirelessly for," said head coach Tom Peterson. "Luke is a great teammate, athlete and human, and he is a truly deserving champion of this conference."  

The Explorers nearly pulled off their second consecutive team title as well but came up just nine points short, finishing in second place behind Richmond. Jaciw-Zurakowsky, redshirt freshman Taonga Mbambo, senior Ryan James and junior Ibrahim Kedir all earned all-conference honors.

"It is tough to head back to Philly without the team title this year, but we got beat by a better Richmond team today," Peterson continued. "Richmond brought the race to us early, we responded well the last 1600 meters but came up just short. With four guys in the top-8 and Luke winning our first individual title since 2013, we have a lot to celebrate."

WHERE THEY FINISHED

• Jaciw-Zurakowsky was near the front the whole way, and after running alongside a large pack for the first 6.4 kilometers, he patiently waited until the final leg to get some separation and make his push into first.
• The Canadian was in a heated battle with Richmond's Stuart Terrill down the stretch but made a strong surge toward the finish line to take first place by .9 seconds with a final time of 24:30.4.
• Mbambo had quite an impressive performance in his first career Atlantic 10 competition after missing most of last season due to injury. The New Zealand native placed fifth out of 112 finishers with a time of 24:41.5.
• James and Kedir were right there towards the front as well, with both finishing inside the top 10. James was in second midway through and ended up clocking a 24:41.9 for seventh place, while Kedir was right behind in 24:45.6 for eighth.
• Redshirt sophomore Matthew Bridger was the fifth Explorer to cross the line, coming in 33rd with a mark of 25:34.9. Redshirt freshman Liam Rivard was inside the top 50 in 40th at 25.41.0, as was sophomore Alex Sandras in 47th with a time of 25:49.1.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Jaciw-Zurakowsky becomes the fifth Explorer to win the men's title and earn Most Outstanding Performer, joining Todd Witzleban (2001, 2002), Sean Quigley (2005, 2006), Alfredo Santana (2011) and Nico Greco (2013).
• Kedir claims all-conference honors for the third straight year, while Jaciw-Zurakowsky and James each took the accolade for the second time in their respective careers.
• The La Salle men have now finished second or better in each of the last three Atlantic 10 Cross Country Championship meets.
• La Salle's four all-conference recipients are its most in a single men's championship since the Explorers had five back in 2013.

UP NEXT

• As the Atlantic 10 Champion, Jaciw-Zurakowsky earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. An official announcement will be made on Sunday. That race will take place March 15 at the Oklahoma State Cross Country Course in Stillwater, Okla.