FLUSHING, NY --- (www.YORKATHLETICS.com) York College's Michael Zhang was recognized as a 2025 CUNYAC Men's Cross Country Preseason Runner to Watch on Thursday as league officials promoted the eight-member crowd. This is the second consecutive season Zhang has been York's designated men's cross country preseason choice. 

Participating in all six cross country meets last year, Zhang recorded five top-two team finishes and a trio of top-20 overall results. He recorded a career-high time in the 8K of 32:39.2 at the Mount Saint Mary College Invitational (Oct. 13), and crossed the finish line at the CUNYAC Championships in 18th position (32:50.2). For his dedication, Zhang garnered the 2024-25 York College Men's Cross Country Coaches Award.

On a team basis, coaches peg the Cardinals as the eighth-best CUNYAC squad. 

2025 CUNYAC Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll

	Points (First-Place Votes)
1. Hunter College	48 (6)
2. Brooklyn College	43 (2)
3. Baruch College	37
4. CCNY	32
5. John Jay College	25
6. Medgar Evers College	24
7. Lehman College	13
8. York College	12

Hunter College led the poll with 48 points and six first-place votes, while Brooklyn College collected the remaining 43 points and the other two first-place votes. The Cardinals received 12 total points. The Cardinals' seven-meet schedule commences with the Herb Lorenz Invitational on September 13 with the St. Joseph's University (L.I) Golden Eagle Invitational hosted by Stony Brook University. 

The 2025 CUNYAC Championships will take place on October 26 at Van Cortlandt Park, as first-year head man Alex Dankwa aims to revitalize the program. 

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