Morse and Byler Claim Titles at Niagara Cross Country Championships

Results

Sam Morse and Trisha Byler claimed individual open titles at the 2026 USATF Niagara Open & Masters Cross Country Championships on Sunday (1-Nov) in Honeoye Falls, N.Y. Both athletes also turned in the top age-graded Masters performances of the day, completing impressive individual championship doubles. In the team competitions, four clubs earned championship titles across the Open and Masters divisions.

Open Men

Sam Morse, 43, of Syracuse, captured the Open men's title with a winning time of 26:53, edging Henry Smith, 23, of Lockport, by six seconds. Hunter Brignall, 25, of Seneca Falls, finished just one second behind Smith in 27:00 to complete the podium. In the team competition, Bergen Elite claimed the championship with 18 points, led by Smith, Brignall, and Nicholas Guarino (27:19), who placed second through fourth among team scorers. Josh Zubler (28:33) and Marty Butler (28:43) rounded out the winning squad's scoring five. Genesee Valley Harriers finished second with 58 points, followed by Checkers AC with 65.

Open Women

Hometown standout Trisha Byler, 42, of Honeoye Falls, raced to the Open women's championship in 30:41, finishing 26 seconds ahead of Jenny Keenan, 43, of Buffalo (31:07). Lindsay Piraino, 30, of Lima, was close behind in third, clocking 31:11. In the team competition, RoadKill secured the championship with 23 points, paced by Byler and Piraino, who were joined by Elizabeth Bender (32:32), Katie Cobos (37:30), and Ashlie Roberts (41:19). Checkers AC finished second with 33 points, led by Cassie Mae Woody (32:36) and Alexandra Duggan (34:52).

Masters Men

Sam Morse completed an impressive championship double, adding the Masters men's age-graded title to his Open victory with an age-graded performance of 83.09%. Joseph Mora, 65, of Fayetteville, finished second with an 82.25% age grade and a time of 32:49, while David Putney, 62, of Newport, placed third with an 81.04% age grade (32:23). The Masters men's team championship produced one of the day's closest contests as Genesee Valley Harriers edged Syracuse Track Club (STC), 385.61 to 379.48, in the age-graded team standings. Mora led the winning GVH squad, which also received strong performances from Mike Nier (79.53%), James Robinson (74.72%), Mark Assini (74.63%), and Keith Yeates (74.47%). Checkers AC finished third with 364.43 points.

Masters Women

Trisha Byler also doubled up on individual titles, earning the Masters women's age-graded championship with a score of 78.46% to go along with her Open victory. Jenny Keenan finished second with a 77.99% age grade, while Sharon Moore, 72, of Rochester, placed third with a 75.52% age grade after running 45:48. In the team competition, Checkers AC captured the Masters women's championship with a combined age-graded score of 365.28, led by Keenan and teammates Maura Tyrrell (74.34%), Jennifer Boerner (73.97%), Aileen Hoak-Lange (69.84%), and Julie King (69.14%). Genesee Valley Harriers finished second with 349.97 points, while Syracuse Track Club (STC) placed third with 331.22.