The Liberty League is celebrating its 25th anniversary during the 2019-2020 academic year. Originally founded as the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (UCAA) in 1995, the conference was renamed the Liberty League during the summer of 2004. Each Thursday throughout the year, the Liberty League will be celebrating its silver anniversary by recognizing outstanding teams and individuals from its rich 25-year history.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) has dominated the Liberty League in Outdoor Track & Field as the winners of the last 11 outdoor championships dating back to 2009. However, the team champions crown was elusive in Men’s Cross Country for the Engineers. RPI did share the honors with St. Lawrence University in 2005 but it wasn’t until the fall of 2016 during Ben Fazio’s senior year, that the Engineers won their first-ever Liberty League title outright. They have not looked back since, winners of four consecutive (2016-2019) championships since 2016.
While at RPI, Fazio was a four-year standout in both cross country and track & field for the Engineers. He was a five-time All-American (twice in cross country, three times in track & field), a national champion in the distance medley relay and a three-time Liberty League Athlete of the Year honoree (cross country, indoor track and outdoor track in 2016-17).
During Fazio’s sophomore year, in the fall of 2014, he cemented his status as one of RPI’s best distance runners as he became the school’s first-ever All-American in cross country with a 26th place showing (24:32.4) at the 2014 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. Other highlights that season included a runner-up finish at the 2014 Liberty League Championship with a time of 25:21.3. As a team, RPI finished as the league’s runner-up for the third consecutive year.
The following year, Fazio earned his second cross country All-America accolade at the NCAA Championships with a 20th place finish as he crossed the finish line in 24:47.2. He was also among the top-five at both the 2015 NCAA Regionals (25:22.6) and Liberty League Championship (25:51.2) with fourth-place finishes at both events. As a team, the Engineers were once again runner-up at the conference championship but they were only two points behind defending champion St. Lawrence.
In 2016, RPI finally pulled off the team victory at the Liberty League Championships, snapping a 21-year win streak for St. Lawrence, thanks in part to Fazio’s first-place finish. In all, the Engineers had seven of the first 12 finishers to earn the 2016 league title. Fazio broke away from the pack late in the race for the individual win defeating teammate Grant O’Connor with a time of 25:22.5 and a four-second margin of victory. At the NCAA regional, Fazio also improved upon his 2015 finish, recording a season-best 24:20, for second place. As a team, RPI was also second at the regional and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA championship. At the time, it was only RPI’s second trip in program history to the NCAA championship, where they placed 17th in 1996. At the 2016 NCAA Championship, RPI improved upon that 1996 finish by four spots, placing 13th out of 32 teams. Fazio completed the course in 25:15.6 for 70th, second among RPI scorers. Following his senior season, Fazio was named Liberty League Runner of the Year.
Fazio also saw success on the track with his breakout seasons occurring during his junior and senior seasons after missing his sophomore year track season due to injury. He opened the 2015-2016 indoor season on a high note with a school record time in the mile. Fazio competed in the mile at the 2016 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship, where he finished 15th.
He built upon that success in the spring, recording six individual wins on the season with three victories in the 1,500 meters and three victories in the 5,000 meters. He swept both events at the 2016 Liberty League Championships and participated in the 5,000 at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, where he was 18th.
The following year, Fazio competed in five events during the indoor season where he recorded personal bests in three events. He was a dual champion at the 2017 Liberty League Indoor Championships, winning the 800 meters with a time of 1:57.41 and the mile with a time of 4:21.14. He made his third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Track & Field Championships, where he earned his first track All-America accolades with a fourth-place showing in the 3,000 meters (8:21.86) and a win in the Distance Medley Relay, where Fazio ran the anchor leg. It was RPI’s first relay in school history, of any sport, to earn a National Championship. The Distance Medley Relay team posted a school and facility record time 9:56.42 for the championship title.
That spring, Fazio competed in three events, where he recorded personal bests in all three events. He was once again a dual champion at the Liberty League Championships with individual wins in the 1,500 (3:58.20) and 800 (1:53.35). Fazio capped off his career with his best individual showing at the NCAA Championships with a runner-up finish in the 5,000 with a time of 14:15.63 for his third track All-America honors. Fazio was the Liberty League Track Performer of the Year in both Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field following the 2016-2017 seasons.
Fazio has been an assistant coach with RPI Cross Country for the past two seasons, rejoining the Engineers in the fall of 2018. Since Fazio’s return to Troy, the Men’s Cross Country team has won two conference championships, won one NCAA regional and made two trips to the NCAA Championships, placing 13th in 2018 and recording a program-best 10th in 2019. On the women’s side, the Engineers were second at the 2018 Liberty League Championship and NCAA regionals, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, where they finished in 16th. The following year the team won the 2019 conference championship, were second at the NCAA regionals and the Engineers were 13th at the NCAAs.
25th Anniversary Spotlight Series:
10/24/2019 - 1999 St. Lawrence University Men's Soccer
10/31/2019 - Sara Artus, Clarkson University, Volleyball (2008-2011)
11/7/2019 - Ali Marpet, Hobart College, Football (2011-2015)
11/14/2019 - 1997 William Smith College Field Hockey
11/21/2019 - Grant O'Connor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Cross Country/Track & Field (2015-2019)
11/28/2019 - Andrew Franks, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Football (2011-2015)
12/5/2019 - 2013 William Smith College Women's Soccer
12/12/2019 - John Coleman, Clarkson University, Basketball and Baseball (2011-2015)
12/19/2019 - Nickie Griesemer, Ithaca College, Swimming & Diving (2013-2018)
1/2/2020 - Kelly Donnelly, Skidmore College, Women's Basketball (2014-2018)
1/9/2020 - Richie Bonney, Hobart College, Men's Basketball (2010-2014)
1/16/2020 - Taryn Cordani, Ithaca College, Cross Country/Track & Field (2014-2018)
1/30/2020 - Amr Khalifa, St. Lawrence University, Men's Squash (2012-2016)
2/6/2020 - Cydni Matsuoka, Vassar College, Women's Basketball (2010-2014)
2/13/2020 - Edvinas Rupkus, Skidmore College, Men's Basketball (2015-2019)
2/20/2020 - Kevin Makarowski, Union College, Men's Swimming & Diving (1993-1997)
2/27/2020 - Kyle Bartlett, University of Rochester, Women's Track & Field (2015-2019)
4/9/2020 - Heather Ingraham, Vassar College, Women's Track & Field (2012-2015)
4/16/2020 - Stephen Goodridge, University of Rochester, Men's Golf (2004-2008)
4/23/2020 - 1998 Skidmore College Women's Tennis
5/1/2020 - The Eisenhut Siblings - Meredith, Cliff & Erika, St. Lawrence University & Union College