Brookville, NY -- For the first time in program history, the Stonehill Skyhawks are men's cross country champions.
A year after finishing as the runner-up, Stonehill and its six All-Conference runners ascended to the top of the table with 33 points, halting Central Connecticut's four-peat ambitions in the process. CCSU finished second with 77 points.
Le Moyne recorded its best-ever finish in third with 114 points after placing fourth in each of the last two seasons. FDU also managed its best team result in 23 years by finishing fourth with 115 points.
Mercyhurst came in fifth, followed by LIU, Wagner, New Haven and Chicago State.
Aidan Budge (Newton, CT/Newton) followed up a second-place effort in 2025 by winning it all with room to spare. Budge, who was named the NEC Outstanding Performer, crossed the tape a whopping 15.6 seconds ahead of the field, setting both NEC Championship and course records in the process. CCSU's Emmett LaRosa (North Andover, MA/North Andover) was named the NEC Freshman of the Year after registering a 17th-place finish at 25:17.7.
Stonehill's Ryan Pereira (Danbury, CT/Danbury) paced the 2026 champion Skyhawks with a third-place finish, covering the course in 24:11.50. Dylan Brilliant (Plymouth, MA/Plymouth South) came in fifth with a final time of 24:16.40. Ethan Fadden (Bellingham, MA/Mount Saint Charles Academy), Nicholas Davies (Auckland, New Zealand/Westlake Boys), Ian Bubar (Warwick, RI/Pilgrim) and Connor Magill (Cumberland, RI/Cumberland) rounded out Stonehill's All-NEC finishers in sixth, eighth, 11th and 14th, respectively. The Skyhawks occupied 11 of the top-25 spots on the individual leaderboard.
FDU's Chase Lopez (Glenn Dale, MD/Dematha Catholic) was the runner-up, clocking in at 24:02.8. Kidus Zeleke (Laurel, MD/Resevoir) also placed in the top 10, slotting in at seventh.
LIU's Brian Masai (Mount Elgon, Kenya/Kabarnet) came in fourth at 24:15.40.
The top 14 finishers receive All-NEC honors. Stonehill led with six, followed by FDU and Le Moyne with two each. CCSU, Chicago State, LIU and Mercyhurst each sported one honoree.