Photo courtesy of gobonnies.com
BY: GRADY McCAFFREY; STAFF WRITER
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — The St. Bonaventure University men’s cross-country team continues preparations for the 2026 Atlantic 10 Championship on Oct. 31 in Richmond, Virginia.
Despite limited races due to the sudden cancellation of the Paul Short Race in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the Bonnies remain confident in their preparation.
Graduate student Aiden Scattergood believes the team can finish among the top in the conference.
“As a team I think we could realistically be close to top eight in the A10,” said Scattergood.
Sophomore Jack Handman said the team’s success in previous meets and its preparation during practices have strengthened the runners’ confidence in themselves and one another.
“The team is approaching this upcoming A-10 Championship with a lot of optimism and excitement,” said Handman. “We know we have the pieces to put up a finish that will make the program and school proud. It’s up to the team to make that happen.”
The team finished in the top half of the field in its two most recent races. They placed sixth out of 22 teams at the Lock Haven Invitational on Sept. 26 in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, and third out of 44 teams at the Aubrey Shenk Invitational on Oct. 17 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
In recent weeks, the team has focused on training and conditioning ahead of the championship.
“One of our biggest things this summer and this fall was trying to push mileage upwards of 85 miles a week, sometimes more, and with that a lot of threshold training,” said Scattergood.
Senior William McCarthy also emphasized the importance of maintaining high mileage.
“We’ve been holding mileage high over the past couple of months, so in the next three weeks or so we’ll be cutting it slightly each week. That way we’ll be able to adapt easier throughout a longer period,” McCarthy said.
The Bonnies will travel to Richmond looking to carry their recent success into the Atlantic 10 Championship.
