Nov. 17, 2007
NEW YORK - The Marist College men's cross country team concluded its season with a strong showing at the 99th annual ICAAAA Championships Saturday at Van Cortlandt Park, placing eighth out of 15 schools in the Championship Division of the meet.
Juniors Girma Segni (Bronx, NY) and David Raucci (Clermont, NY) led the way for the Red Foxes, earning ICAAAA Championship Division All-East honors for the second consecutive year. Segni was 14th overall in 25:36. Raucci followed closely in 15th with a time of 25:38.
Senior captain Mike Rolek (Maplewood, NJ) ended a stellar cross country career with a personal-best time on the Van Cortlandt Park 5-mile course, placing 52nd in 26:10. Sophomore Conor Shelley (Rockville Centre, NY) was next in 26:19. Freshman Adam Vess (Cromwell, CT) rounded out the scoring pack with a personal-best time of 26:49, good for 89th place overall.
The top-five combined time on Saturday was 2:10:32 on the 5-mile course, an average of 26:06.4 per man. That ranks fifth all-time on the Marist VCP list. Of the top five team performances, three were recorded in 2006 and two were posted in 2007.
Other runners notching 5-mile personal-best times at Van Cortlandt on the breezy and chilly morning: freshman John Reilly (Jackson Heights, NY), seniors Thomas Dixon (Staten Island, NY) and Joe Tarantello (Cheshire, CT), in the Championship Division; freshmen Zachary Smetana (Niskayuna, NY), Sam McMullen (Newton, NJ) and Patrick Duggan (Rockville Centre, NY) in the Coaches Association race.
Along with Rolek, Dixon, and Tarantello, seniors Ted Marak (Guilford, CT), Bryan Dixon (Staten Island, NY) and Matthew Maynes (Tolland, CT) closed out their collegiate cross country careers on Saturday. Led by Rolek, the senior class has been a part of the five fastest overall team combined time totals in school history at Van Cortlandt Park - all achieved during the 2006 and 2007 cross country seasons.
With the fall season complete, the indoor track schedule begins on Friday, December 7, with the Fordham University Invitational.
IC4A Championships
Team Standings
1. Georgetown 38
2. Duke 73
3. William and Mary 121
4. Princeton 137
5. UMass 160
6. Yale 178
7. Duquesne 193
8. Marist 216
9. Columbia 241
10. La Salle 255
11. Iona 285
12. St. Joseph's 295
13. George Mason 302
14. Rider 358
15. Delaware 389
Marist Finishers:
14. Girma Segni 25:36 *ICAAAA All East
15. David Raucci 25:38 *ICAAAA All East
52. Michael Rolek 26:10 (personal best)
62. Conor Shelley 26:19
89. Adam Vess 26:49 (personal best)
100. John Reilly 27:06 (personal best)
101. John Keenan 27:07
119. Thomas Dixon 27:21 (personal best)
129. Joe Tarantello 27:39 (personal best)
134. Matthew Janczyk 27:54
136. Alex Emerel 27:58
Coaches Association Race (no team scoring):
18. Zachary Smetana 28:21 (personal best)
21. Sam McMullen 28:27 (personal best)
22. Patrick Duggan 28:27 (personal best)
23. Nick Webster 28:31
40. Ted Marak 29:26
46. Greg Masto 29:39
50. Bryan Dixon 30:18
53. Matthew Maynes 30:39
