The St. Lawrence University men's track and field put together a landmark 2025-26 season, opening the year with a team title at the Saints Holiday Relays and building from there, achieving a slew of individual accolades from their senior distance runners.
The Saints' success this winter and spring was driven by standout performances up and down the roster, with the distance group in particular pushing the program to new national prominence.
At the front of that group was Nick Lyndaker, whose senior season capped one of the most decorated careers a Saint has ever had. Lyndaker clocked a 3:59.42 indoor mile, the fifth-fastest time in NCAA history. Outdoors, he added a 4:03.63 mile, the 10th-fastest mark ever run in NCAA competition, and placed fourth in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Lyndaker's individual success translated directly into points and recognition for the program. He was named an 11-time All-American and was tabbed the USTFCCCA Mideast Regional Track and Field Runner of the Year four times, sweeping the honor in the indoor 2025 season, outdoor 2025 season, indoor 2026 season and outdoor 2026 season.
He was named the Liberty League's indoor and outdoor track athlete of the year, won the league's 1,500-meter run and outdoor 5,000-meter run individual titles, and helped anchor a Saints program that captured eight Liberty League track and field titles and two Liberty League cross country titles during his time on campus.
He qualified individually for the NCAA championships nine times across cross country, indoor and outdoor track, and remains the only Saint to ever qualify individually for the NCAA Cross Country Championships in all four of his years in the program. Lyndaker holds the Liberty League Cross Country Championship course record, the Liberty League association record in the indoor mile and outdoor 1,500-meter run, and the Ronald C. Hoffmann Championship Cross Country Course record, and was honored as the Martha Finch Outstanding Senior Male Athlete at the SLU Sports Awards.
The Saints' depth was further reflected in the rise of Patrick Russell, who gave St. Lawrence another national-caliber distance threat this season. Russell won the Liberty League 5,000-meter run title during the indoor 2026 season and finished runner-up in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, an event he currently leads in the Liberty League after finishing third at the league championships in both the 2024 season and 2025 season.
He qualified individually for the NCAA Cross Country Championships during the 2025 season and earned USTFCCCA Mideast All-Region honors in both cross country and indoor track, the latter in the 800-meter run. Russell also added a runner-up finish in the 5,000-meter run at the AARTFC Indoor meet and a win in the 5,000-meter run at the Fastrack National Invite.
