The UR men’s cross country team will run in the NCAA Division III National Championship race for a third straight year after receiving an at-large invitation to the race on Sunday. Leading the way for UR was senior Dan Hamilton of Newton, Mass., who finished 14th at the NCAA Regional Championships on Saturday, Nov. 10. Hamilton was UR’s highest finisher at regionals, and he has consistently been one of the Yellowjackets’ strongest competitors, running in seven races this season and finishing first for UR in three of them.
What is your major?
Electrical and computer engineering.
When did you start running cross country?
Eighth grade. I ran cross country that year for school, but I started running on my own in seventh grade.
Why cross country?
I sucked at every other sport. It is also something I enjoy and am good at.
What is your favorite place to run?
I like running on the [Genesee Valley Greenway Trail] here in Rochester.
What do you feel when you run?
Pain and tiredness.
What is the hardest part of running?
I would say not slowing down during races because everything hurts and you want to stop. The best runners are those who can ignore that and keep running.
What do you enjoy most about running?
My dad always says that he likes running because it feels so good when you stop, but at the end of a race when you finally get to look back on what you did, it is a rewarding feeling.
What songs do you listen to when you run?
DMX and Ludacris.
What do you hope to do when you graduate?
I would like to run a couple marathons — it would be good to run Boston. It would be nice to get an engineering job, but other than that I have not figured it out.
Davis is a member of the class of 2016.