Sept. 2, 2010
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Marist men's and women's cross country teams will open the 2010 season Saturday morning at Bowdoin Park when they host the Marist Invitational. The women's team race will begin at 9 a.m. with the men's race scheduled to begin at 9:45 a.m. Joining the Red Foxes at this year's Marist Invitational will be Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opponents Saint Peter's, Siena, and Fairfield.
After a season in which the men's squad finished second in the MAAC for the fifth consecutive year, in addition to the women's team capturing its first ECAC championship in program history, the Red Foxes are hoping to pick up where they left off last season.
The men's squad, which was ranked 14th in the Northeast Region by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), will be led this season by junior captains Adam Vess (Cromwell, Conn.) and Mathew Flint (Queensbury, N.Y.) and senior captains Timothy Keegan (Huntington, N.Y.), and Patrick Duggan (Rockville Centre, N.Y.). Vess won the 5K Marist Season Opener last year with a time of 16:12 in addition to placing first in the 8K Boston University Invitational with a time of 24:55. He was also Marist's top finisher at the MAAC Championships, placing seventh with a time of 26:14.2. Flint also enjoyed a successful 2009 season, placing second at the Marist Season Opener with a time of 16:17 and finishing 11th at the MAAC Championships with a time of 26:41.9.
Sophomore Zachary Smetana (Niskayuna, N.Y.), Nick Webster (Latham, N.Y.) and Sam McMullen (Newton, N.J.). Junior Tom Lipari (Greenvale, N.Y.) and sophomores Billy Posch (Wantagh, N.Y.) and Matt Panebianco (Tappan, N.Y.) will each add depth to the roster.
This season, the men's cross country team boasts the largest recruiting class in program history, as 14 freshmen will make their collegiate running debuts in 2010.
"This could be the strongest recruiting class in school history," said director of men's and women's cross country Pete Colaizzo. "We are very pleased with the work of the freshmen and the entire team."
On the women's side, the Red Foxes are coming off a second-place finish at last year's MAAC Championships - the program's highest finish at the MAAC meet since 2006 - in addition to capturing their first ECAC title in program history.
As a result, expectations for the women's program are running high this year as Marist will return the majority of runners from last year's squad with the exception of Brittany Burns (Watertown, N.Y.) who has exhausted her cross country eligibility, but will still be able to compete for Marist's track team this winter.
Junior Erin O'Reilly (East Patchogue, N.Y.) and Katie Messina (Queensbury, N.Y.). DiFrancesco's stellar 2009 season included a second-place finish at the MAAC Championships in addition to a record-setting performance at the ECAC meet where she finished fifth overall in the 5,000-meter course with a time of 17:51.8.
Senior captains Jillian Corley (New London, N.H.) and Julie Hudak (Pearl River, N.Y.) will provide additional depth to the Red Foxes' roster this season. Last year, Corley finished 13th in the Marist Season Opener with a time of 24:22 while Hudak finished fifth with a time of 20:26. Additionally, the women's squad will feature five newcomers this season, highlighted by Kiersten Anderson (Scotia, N.Y.) and Alexandra Davis (Vorhees, N.J.).
"We are very excited with the additions of Kiersten and Alex," said Colaizzo. "This year's team could have the strongest depth of any women's team in the history of the program."
Despite facing one of its biggest schedules in recent memory in addition to a much-improved conference, Marist's goals remain the same for 2010: a top-2 finish in the MAAC and a top-15 finish in the Northeast Region. While repeating last year's success will certainly be a challenge, both the men's and women's cross country teams will look to get the season started on the right foot, beginning Saturday morning at Bowdoin Park.
