MEDIA, Pa. – For the second straight season, the St. Mary's College of Maryland men's cross country team finished as the runner-up at the United East Conference Championships Saturday morning (Nov. 1). St. Mary's College placed second in the 10-team field with 55 points as first-year Brandon Smoot (Hanover, Md./DeMatha) and senior Kelly Byrne (Rockville, Md./Rockville) led the way with Top 10 finishes.
 
Additionally, sophomore Blake Carberry (Pylesville, Md./North Harford) garnered the Elite 21 Award for men's cross country as Carberry owned the highest grade point average among the runners on the Top 4 teams at the United East Championships.
 
The Seahawks have now finished at the United East runners-up three times (2022, 2024, and 2025) while winning it all in their first year as United East members in 2021. In 2023, SMCM placed third.
 
How It Happened

• Smoot finished the 8K course in 28:47.30 to place fifth out of 85 runners and lead St. Mary's College.
• Byrne was the second Seahawk to cross the finish line as he posted a 30:07.59 for eighth overall.
• Junior Noah Fisher (Union Bridge, Md./Francis Scott Key) just missed a Top 10 finish as Fisher came in 11th with a time of 30:32.77.
• Scoring next for St. Mary's College was Carberry, who collected a 15th-place finish in 30:52.98.
• Sophomore Jack Kuta (Leonardtown, Md./Leonardtown) rounded out the five Seahawk scorers. Kuta placed 16th in 31:00.15.

 
Inside the Race

• Penn State Berks claimed its first men's cross country title while Gallaudet University's Sevan Ikeda took home the individual crown as well as the United East Runner and Rookie of the Year honors. Ikeda finished the course in 27:23.1.
• Berks head coach Ryan Foster was named the United East Coach of the Year.

 
Up Next for the Seahawks

• Nov. 15 at NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regionals – Newville, Pa. (Big Spring HS) – 12 pm

 
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