Iona College Men’s Cross Country proved that it was still one of the top programs in the nation, even battling sickness on championship day. For the ninth straight season, Iona had a top 10 finish at nationals on Nov. 22.

Junior Leonard Korir finished fourth overall leading the Gaels to an eighth place finish at the 2010 NCAA Championship at the LaVern Gibson Championship XC Course in Terre Haute, Ind.

Korir covered the 10k championship course in 29.42.0, which was only 20 seconds behind the race champion. Samuel Chelanga of Liberty took home the individual title for the second straight season. Arizona’s Stephen Sambu and Oregon’s Luke Puskedra were the other two runners to beat Iona’s top harrier.

During Iona’s successful nine-year stretch, Iona has produced 10 All-Americans, and Korir became the newest member. Korir’s fourth place finish was also the third best finish in Iona cross country history. In 2005, Richard Kiplagat was runner-up, and in 2008 Andrew Ledwith was third place.

Korir’s season also included individual titles at the MAAC Championship and the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship.

Sophomore Matthew Bayley finished second for the Gaels, placing 63rd overall in 30:42.9. Iona graduate students Mitch Goose and Ben Lindsay were close behind placing 65th and 73rd. 2009 All-American, Alexander Soderberg, who was ill, placed 166th in a time of 31:45.3.

Head Coach Ricardo Santos commented, “We were a bit disappointed with our performance at the NCAA Championships. We wanted a top five finish, finishing eighth is still a good accomplishment, and we were only 23 points away from fifth.”

Oklahoma State took home the team title for the second straight season and breezed by the competition by scoring a very low 73 points.

Oklahoma State placed three runners in top ten and five scorers all placed in the top 30 during their championship run. Second place Florida State was not even close with 193 points.

The United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named Korir the Northeast Region Athlete of the Year. The junior was the third straight Iona runner to win the individual championship at Regionals following Mohamed Khadraoui in 2008 and Ryan Sheridan in 2009.

Both runners also received the Northeast Region Athlete of the Year title for their performances.

Iona team accomplishments this season included a number one ranking in the northeast, a number four national ranking, and a 20th straight MAAC title.

Even though the team underperformed with sickness, Coach Santos felt that the team learned a lot from the season and that they can continue to build off that and have a strong track season.

The indoor track and field season will open up on Dec. 1. The Gaels will head to Riverdale, N.Y., to compete in the Manhattan Season Opener, where they will go head-to-head with MAAC rival Manhattan College.