ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College men's cross country team improved immensely in 2018, as the squad soaked up the training and knowledge from second-year head coach Lou Fiorillo. However, it was a newcomer that stole the show under Fiorillo, who quickly groomed freshman Owen Rose '22 into one of the top runners in the program's short history.

A two-sport athlete from Vernon, New York, Rose will follow the footsteps of his older brother, Alex Rose '15, and suit up for the men's volleyball team this winter. However, the younger Rose has already left his mark on EC history.

Rose claimed a pair of school records this fall, overtaking the top spot at both the 5,000- and 6,000-meter distances from former standout James Fritsche '18. Rose broke the 5,000-meter time in the first collegiate race of his career, clocking in at 17:54.00 at the season-opening Houghton Twilight Invitational.  In the next race, the Alfred University Short, Rose claimed the top spot in Elmira history in the 6,000-meter, as he crossed the finish line in 21:20.20, breaking the previous record by 1:22.

If you ask Fiorillo, however, you'll find that these performances were the expectation for Rose the minute he stepped on campus.

"I knew from Owen's high school performances that he had the potential to be competitive at the college level," Fiorillo said. "It was just a matter of adjusting to the new training program, as well as adjusting to college life in general. The fact that he broke most of the EC records during his freshman campaign bodes well for the future in regards to recruiting. Owen's success will help us build the program in the future."

As the season drew to a close, Rose dialed up more magic at the Cross Country Only Conference Championships (CCOC) at the Seneca Lake State Park in Geneva, New York. Rose led the Soaring Eagles to a program-best seventh-place finish at the ultra-competitive event, earning an eighth-place finish in the 98-man field. In the process, the standout became just the third runner in school history to run a sub-29-minute 8K with a time of 28:27.80. Rose narrowly missed the record held by Cody Stinson '16 (28:22.50) by a mere 5.3 seconds.

"The goals I had for myself this season were a little different from high school," Rose said. "I thought I might get the records in a couple races, but I did not realize I was breaking the records at first. Coach Fiorillo put the idea that I may break the records on most courses at the start of the season."

With the first season of collegiate competition under his belt, Rose is looking forward to starting his EC men's volleyball career. But following his stellar freshman outing, he has an eye towards next fall and cannot wait to create more history on the trails in 2019.

"I am mostly looking forward to lowering my times and finally getting that 8k record," Rose added. "I am aiming to win my first collegiate race next year and my first home race in September."

"I expect more of the same out of Owen," Fiorillo added. "With Owen being a two-sport athlete, his summer training will be crucial to his continued success at the collegiate level.  If he trains well, I think he has a high ceiling."