R.I.T. Athletics

ROCHESTER, NY – Senior Jared Burdick (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) was named Empire 8 Runner of the Year after finishing first in the Empire 8 Men’s Cross Country Championship, which was held in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Burdick finished the eight-kilometer course in 25:34.15, nearly 30 seconds faster than Mike Brindak (Syracuse, NY/Solvay), who took second-place.

Throughout the 2009 season, Burdick proved to be a top competitor in the Empire 8, finishing in the top-six five different times. He recorded a season-best time of 24:44 at the Geneseo Invitational on Oct. 3. In addition, he was named Empire 8 Runner of the Week five times, RIT Male Athlete of the Week two times, and RACA Male Athlete of the Week for the week ending Oct. 18.

The Tigers had six different runners finish in the top ten in the Empire 8 Cross Country Championship, finishing the meet with a score of 25 and a total time of 2:11:51.75.