BRONX, N.Y.- Leonardo Kaplan captured the individual title to lead the Hunter College men's cross country team to a third-place finish at the 2026 City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) Cross Country Championship at Van Cortlandt Park.

Kaplan delivered a dominant performance, crossing the finish line in 28:02.7 to claim first place by more than a minute. He maintained an average mile pace of 5:38.5, finishing 1:03 ahead of the runner-up to secure the conference crown.

As a team, the Hawks totaled 70 points to secure third place, finishing 29 points ahead of the City College of New York. Hunter recorded a combined time of 2:40:34, averaging 32:08 per runner to earn a spot on the podium.

Amrit Singh added a top-10 finish for the Purple and Gold, placing 10th overall in 31:08.7 while maintaining an average mile pace of 6:15.9. Todd Maendel followed in 18th place among 55 competitors, clocking a time of 33:21.7.

Harrison Abarca and Usaama Dow rounded out Hunter's scoring five, finishing 23rd and 24th, respectively. Abarca crossed the line in 34:01.3, followed closely by Dow in 34:09.3, as the Hawks placed all five scoring runners in the top half of the field.

With his championship-winning performance, Kaplan qualified for the NCAA Division III Region III Championship, hosted by SUNY Fredonia on Nov. 21 in Fredonia, N.Y.