The Hobart and William Smith Colleges cross country teams will compete in the Liberty League Championships in Potsdam, N.Y., on Saturday, Oct. 27. The women's 6-kilometer race is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. with the men's 8k to follow at noon.
 
The championship is being hosted by Clarkson University. The host Golden Knights will provide a live video feed from the finish line.
 
The Herons will take a young, but talented squad to the North Country to face a deep field. Of the league's nine teams, six are ranked in the latest Atlantic Region poll. William Smith will be looking to improve on its seventh place finish in last year's conference clash in Poughkeepsie.
 
First-year Riley Poisson has been the Herons top runner, week-in and week-out. The five-time Liberty League Rookie of the Week has five top-five finishes, including a pair of victories. She posted her fastest 6k time of the season, 23:03.4, at the Mike Woods Invitational on Sept. 29, a time that would have put her fourth in last season's league championship.
 
Senior Eva Gurian, junior Jules Picuri and first-years Mikayla Gullace and Courtney Page have consistently placed in the team's top five this season. Picuri led William Smith in the 2017 championship, clocking in at 25:05 to finish 51st. Gurian, who missed last season, placed 34th in 2016 with a team best time of 24:45.8.
 
With three runners in the top four, Ithaca won the team title by two points over St. Lawrence last year. None of the Bombers top three return, while the Saints, who put three runners in the top 10, welcome back two. SLU is ranked 20th in the nation and third in the region. Rensselaer is close behind at No. 21 in the nation and No. 4 in the Atlantic. Vassar is No. 5 in the region.
 
On the men's side, Hobart will be looking to improve on its seventh place finish in 2017. Defending champion Rensselaer is the presumptive favorite. The Engineers are ranked ninth in the nation, second in the Atlantic Region, and welcome back their top three runners, including defending champion Grant O'Connor.
 
The Statesmen are led by sophomore Max Tulchinsky and junior Josh Wasserman. The pair have been the first two runners across the finish line in all seven races this season, including a 1-2 finish in the Cross Country Only Conference Championship on Oct. 13. First-year Shane Pursch, junior William Fletcher and first-year Andrew Broering have consistently rounded out Hobart's team score.
 
Tulchinsky, Fletcher and Wasserman were the top three Statesmen in last year's championship, placing 35th (27:39.2), 44th (28:44.4) and 46th (29:00.2), respectively.