SUNY Cortland Athletics

This is part of a series of interviews with former Cortland track and field and/or cross country individual national champions. This interview was conducted by Cortland track and field All-American Reilly Quinn '26 in 2026.

Interview Menu

Amaan Siddeeq '08
 
Overview:
Amaan Siddeeq is a two-time NCAA Outdoor Track and Field national champion in the 100 meter and 200 meter sprints. After four previous All-American accolades, Siddeeq became a national champion his senior year in 2008. He won both events the same day and is the first and only Cortland athlete to win a national championship in the 200-meter sprint. Siddeeq also won the Red Letter award for Outdoor Track and Field in 2008. He set the school record in both the 100 meter and 200 meter (indoor & outdoor) and still holds all three records. The Goshen, N.Y. native currently resides in the New York City Metropolitan Area.
 
Why did you choose Cortland?
 I chose Cortland because it was closer to home. I was going to Alfred University before then and Cortland had a better track team. Nick Weatherby was also there and he was a national champion in the 100 meter. It was more of a track thing and that it’s two hours away from home, so closer was better for me. Cortland is more Long Island/Orange County people and Alfred University is more like Western New York and Buffalo people. It was just a different environment. At Cortland, I was an exercise science and kinesiology major, but the change was track driven.
 
What do you remember about your national title season(s)?
I don’t remember much about it to be honest. I remember it was my senior year so it was a good time. School was easy and I didn’t have any classes. I was living off campus with teammates Kevin Ma and JJ Riese. It was just a blast. Being able to eat home cooked meals definitely helped a lot with preparation for the national championship. I just remember winning everything, I didn’t really lose. The last time I lost a meet was in Virginia to start the outdoor season. I got second or third. Before that at indoor nationals in the 55 was the only other time that I lost. It was a lot of winning and I lifted religiously. That was another thing why Cortland was so good because it had so many different gyms all over campus.
 
What was winning your first title like?
It was cool. It wasn’t really like an amazing feeling, but it was just what I earned. Just imagine getting a lot of second place titles at nationals. I got second place a whole bunch until my last meet, so it was a relief to have a national championship.
 
What is your favorite memory of Cortland?
We water ballooned the women’s track team when they were having dinner at the assistant coaches house. So, me and some of the men’s team went to the house. I’m the one that planned it so when dinner was over and they exited, we waited for them and then water ballooned them. It was a fun time. Also just the social events. We had a lot of team events before and during my senior year. We never really had social events with other teams, but then we started to have events with kickline, dance works, and volleyball. It was a great year.
 
Can you recall any specific meet that was your favorite and why?
The local meet was my favorite. It was when I broke the school record in the 200 meter. I didn’t have to travel. It was great, really amazing. It was at the Cortland Classic. I broke both the 100 and the 200 record that weekend. Everyone else was far behind in the 200 and I passed them before the turn, so it was a great feeling. It was just ‘go’.
 
If you could go back and change one aspect of your athletic or academic career, what would it be and why?
It would probably be the years I lost a 55 by 0.01 of a second. I didn’t really sleep those nights. I was up all night on the phone talking to people instead. If I would’ve slept those nights, I probably would’ve had four national championships instead of just two. The night before the championships I’d be on the phone instead of getting sleep. I wasn’t getting 6 to 8 hours like I was supposed to. I would’ve slept more.
 
What have you taken from being a part of the team?
I took friendships from the team. I still communicate with some of the track team. We’ve gone on vacations, I’ve been a groomsman at some of their weddings, and we’ve gone on other trips. The people I hung out with the most were Stan Cadet and Rue Thompson. When we lived near each other, we would hang out. I definitely got some lifelong friendships from track. I even saw Stanley a few months ago to go biking and we’re gonna plan a vacation to go on a biking trip. I gained those lifelong friendships from the team.
 
What are you doing now?
I was working in New York City parks as a recreation Director, but in October 2024 I was hit twice while riding my bicycle. So I’ve been disabled since then and I’ve just been recovering.
 
Do you have any advice for Cortland XC/TF athletes now?
Get in the weight room. It’s not just about track because that is only 30-40% of it. A good portion is what you do outside of the track, like the weight room. Sleep and your nutrition are important too. If you want to perform great, you have to have all four. You can’t just be running and not eating correctly or not hydrating, you have to have the balance.