Tyrone, PA -- The two-time defending champions proved once again why they’re the standard in NEC men’s cross country.
With the help of NEC individual champion and Outstanding Performer Mark Rodriguez (Cromwell, CT/Cromwel), Central Connecticut won its third consecutive conference championship and the 13th in program history, extending its own league record.. The Blue Devils boasted the top-two finishers in the race and finished with 46 points.
CCSU embarked on a record nine-year tenure on top from 2009-17, and have since added four more titles in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Stonehill finished as the runner-up with 61 points for its best-ever finish at the event.
LIU took third with 110 points - its top showing since 2004 - while Le Moyne totaled 140 points to match last year’s fourth-place finish.
The meet was hosted by Saint Francis at B & D Acres in Tyrone, PA.
CCSU placed three runners in the top 10 and all five inside the top 20. The Blue Devils won by 15 points, their closest margin of victory since a 10-point win in 2016.
Rodriguez crossed the tape in 25:34.2, besting the 81-runner field by five seconds. Rodriguez has now earned back-to-back All-NEC selections after a fourth place finish in 2024. With his win, Rodriguez became the 10th CCSU runner in program history to win the individual title.
Aidan Budge (Newton, CT/Newton), earned his third All-NEC honor with a runner-up finish, clocking in at 25:39.2. Salvatore Masciarelli (Northbridge, MA / Marianapolis Prep) was the third Blue Devils runner to place inside the top 10 with an eighth place result.
Stonehilll's Dylan Brilliant (Plymouth, MA/Plymouth South) earned the third podium place after crossing the finish line in 25:44. The junior has been named All-NEC in each of his first three seasons, finishing eighth and fifth in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Wagner's Florian Hinry (Rennes, France IUT Saint Malo) and
Justin Morris (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's Boys) rounded out the top five. Hinry finished at 25:54.8 and Morris was time in 26:04.7. Morris now has two top-10 finishes for his career.
Stonehill's
Luke Allen (Coventry, R.I. East Greenwich) was the top freshman at the meet, earning NEC Freshman of the Year honors in the process. The Skyhawk rookie finished 13th with a time of 26:29.3.
Le Moyne was paced by a seventh place finish from Tyler Cooper (Sloatsburg, N.Y. Suffern), covering the course in 26:10.2.
The top 14 finishers receive All-NEC honors, and both CCSU and Stonehill placed three runners among them.
2025 NEC Men's Cross Country Final Results
1. CCSU - 46
2. Stonehill - 61
3. LIU - 110
4. Le Moyne - 140
5. Wagner - 143
6. FDU - 147
7. Mercyhurst - 182
8. New Haven - 184
9. Saint Francis - 201
9. Chicago State - 226
2025 NEC Men's Cross Country All-Conference Team
NEC Outstanding Performer: Mark Rodriguez, CCSU
NEC Freshman of the Year: Luke Allen, Stonehill