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POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – In the fall of 1998, Marist was in just its second season as a full member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The year also showed distinct growth for Marist cross country.
 
On Nov. 1, the women's cross country program won its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship in program history. The Red Foxes improved on their fourth-place finish from their first MAAC championship the prior year.
 
Under the leadership of head coach Phil Kelly, the Red Foxes totaled 39 points, edging out Manhattan's 48 to win the conference title. Liza Grudzinski won the individual women's championship and was named Most Outstanding Runner, as she completed the course at historic Van Cortlandt Park in 18:46.6.
 
The championship proved to be just the beginning of a great run for the program, which won championships each of the next two year. In 1999, the Red Foxes and Jaspers tied for the title, with Grudzinski once again claiming the overall title. In 2000, Marist and Manhattan dueled again, with the Red Foxes coming out in front in the first championship contested at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. When the championship returned to Disney in 2004, the Red Foxes earned their fourth conference crown.
 
The 1998 championship also marked the beginning of a highly competitive run for the Marist men's cross country program. The Red Foxes improved on a sixth-place finish in the first MAAC championship the previous year by coming in second. It marked the first of 15 consecutive years that the men's program earned a top-four MAAC finish.
 
To read more about the 1998 Marist women's cross country team, please visit our championship history page.
 
Past Marist Mondays
Week One: 2008 Men's Tennis | Week Two: 2014 Women's Swimming & Diving | Week Three: 2015 Men's Lacrosse