Small-town Saturday. I'll take it!

So. This is how the rest of the world lives. After spending the better part of the past few months of Saturdays at track meets near and far – mostly far, and many of them hundreds of miles of maroon van driving away – I found myself at home with my family today. Well, not my whole family. Heidi was down in Florida to see our niece graduate from high school. So, it has been a 4-day fun fest of Daddy and The Kids (the Saleks saw this first-hand for a few moments on Friday afternoon!). Mostly, it has been great NOT to have to go anywhere far away, or with the echo of a starter’s pistol and clanking of hurdles, on this day. Don’t get me wrong. I love what I do and with whom I do it. The teams are my family, and traveling with them hardly classifies as “work” by the traditional standards. But I love my actual family a lot, too, and I do miss them when I am wherever I am that is not home.

And so it was with gratitude that I experienced the simply mundane things of a small-town Saturday: Yard sale signs; high school football team car wash (side note: What a hoot! Anyone who knows my car realizes what a colossal waste of time a car wash would be for that sticker-laden piece of junk); more yard sale signs; a packed Home Depot garden center; more yard sale signs; a fun “hobby day” sponsored by our elementary school PTA, at the historic Hyde Park train station; more yard sale signs; Stewart’s coffee (of course); more yard sale signs (oh! I just realized that today was something called the “town-wide garage sale,’’ in which such behavior was encouraged). Heidi, a fine connoisseur of garage sale/tag sale/yard sale treasures (junk?), surely missed this as she sweated it out down in the Fort Myers sun.

So yeah. A Saturday at home. What a concept. Next Saturday is graduation, so it won’t be the leisurely small-town Saturday. It will be an emotional cap-and-gown day as we formally and finally say goodbye to a group that quite honestly I am not ready to see depart Poughkeepsie. After that, our weekends start filling up with other little tasks and trips. So today, being home with not much to do but take care of the kids and attend to little errands here and there … I’ll take it.

A post-IC4A/season bike ride

Thanks to David Marthy (left) for sharing this photo of him, Doug Ainscow (center) and Pat Deedy (right). The three BROS rode their bikes from Poughkeepsie all the way up to the Mohonk Mountain house west of New Paltz. They hung there until it was clear they did not belong, and then they headed back down the big, big, big hill. And, it is a BIG hill they had to scale from the Village of New Paltz up Mountain Rest Road the the Mountain House. Nicely done, men!

Outdoor track: What's next ...

The 2013 collegiate outdoor track season for the Marist College Track Family has officially come to an end. The longshot hope of Quimes DelaCruz earning a spot in the NCAA East Regional ended with the official declaration/start list. In order to earn a spot at the Regional, an athlete needs to be among the top 48 declared athletes in their event. On the descending order list, Quimes was 58th, meaning he needed 10 athletes to scratch or not declare. This did not happen. And thus ends an illustrious, memorable and certainly colorful career for the man with the big name and the big game. From start to finish, Arquimedes Jesus DelaCruz was a force, in each and every of the 12 seasons in which he competed. We will never forget his memorable accomplishments.

Next month, we do have three athletes (rising sophomores) who will be competing at the USATF Junior Championships in Des Moines -- site of Quimes' Junior All-America performance in the 10,000, three years ago! The following athletes have qualified and will compete out at Drake:

--Kristen Traub: Qualified in the 1,500 and 3,000. Most likely will focus on 1,500.
--Johnny Lee: Qualified for (and will run in) the 10,000.
--Ryan Colabella: Qualified for (and will run in) the 10,000.

As always, we look forward to what amounts to a midsummer trip for us. For now, we will reflect on a long but strong 2012-2013 year, and maybe catch up on some things at home while we prepare to say goodbye to the Class of 2013 and send them off into the real world, where we know they will make a special mark.

Final thoughts: ECAC 10,000, Kathryn Sheehan

ECAC Championships

Friday, May 10, 2013

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

10,000-meter run

9-Kathryn Sheehan 36:35.37

86, 2:53 (87), 4:18 (85), 5:45 (87)

7:13 (88), 8:41 (88), 10:09 (88), 11:37 (88)

13:05 (88), 14:32 (87), 16:00 (88), 17:29 (89)

18:57 (88), 20:25 (88), 21:53 (88), 23:23 (90)

24:52 (89), 26:23 (91), 27:52 (89), 29:22 (90)

30:52 (90), 32:22 (90), 33:50 (88), 35:17 (87)

36:35.37 (78.37)

5km split: 18:11

Final comments: Baseball announcers are fond of declaring “FREE BASEBALL!” when a game goes into extra innings. It is a joyous pronouncement of the extension of something so enjoyable and so much fun that you just don’t want it to end. Such was the fifth year of Kathryn Sheehan, one of the sweetest and toughest competitors we have ever had the privilege of being around on a daily basis. This was no go-through-the-motions, add-on year for Kat. She resurrected her injury plagued running career with a fifth year that should be the model for all graduate students/fifth-year runners in the future. She was an unquestioned team leader, very much a strong member of our team very young team. And she PRed at every significant distance at which she raced. She showed perhaps the greatest range of any female distance runner we’ve ever had here. Need a fast relay leg? Put Kathryn on it. Need a 10km ECAC qualifier? Kat did that too, by a lot. This has been so much fun; we just don’t want it to end. But end it must, and we will move on with the knowledge that she did so much for so long, and so well.

Final thoughts: ECAC 10,000, Katie Messina

ECAC Championships

Friday, May 10, 2013

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

10,000-meter run

16-Katie Messina 37:20.37

89, 2:56 (87), 4:22 (86), 5:51 (89)

7:19 (88), 8:48 (89), 10:16 (88), 11:45 (89)

13:14 (89), 14:43 (89), 16:13 (90), 17:42 (89)

19:11 (89), 20:41 (90), 22:11 (90), 23:40 (89)

25:12 (92), 26:43 (91), 28:14 (91), 29:46 (92)

31:17 (91), 32:50 (93), 34:23 (93), 35:54 (91)

37:20.37 (86.37)

5km split: 18:25

Final thoughts: Every team needs about a dozen Katie Messinas. She trains hard. She trains smart. She is durable. She is loyal. She is an incredible teammate. She is a great friend. She is an exemplary student. In short, she is everything – every, single thing – you want of a student-athlete. Katie is the classic long-distance runner. Dial her into a pace, and she can and will run it, literally all night long. In her PR and ECAC qualifying effort at 10,000 meters last month at Bucknell, I got the sense that if the officials said, “hey ladies, you gotta keep going, we’re running 15k tonight!” … Katie would have been just fine with that, thank you very much. And she wouldn’t have slowed down. She locks into a pace, and she goes, and goes, and goes. Because of this, it is my humble belief that Katie’s best running may well be ahead of her as a post-graduate road racer. But for now, for today, we can look back at a two-time All-MAAC XC runner, a rock-solid long distance specialist, and a great person on top of it all.

Final thoughts: IC4A 10,000, Joel Moss

IC4A Championships, 137th annual

Friday, May 10, 2013

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

10,000-meter run

18-Joel Moss 31:38.35

74, 2:28 (74), 3:42 (74), 4:53 (71)

6:06 (73), 7:21 (75), 8:36 (75), 9:48 (72)

11:04 (76), 12:20 (76), 13:36 (76), 14:51 (75)

16:07 (76), 17:24 (77), 18:41 (77), 19:58 (77)

21:17 (79), 22:36 (79), 23:53 (77), 25:12 (79)

26:30 (78), 27:48 (78), 29:06 (78), 30:24 (78)

31:38.34 (74.34)

5km split: 15:31

Final comments: A screenwriter could not script a better story than Big Man Moss. Joel was better known as a tuba player in his marching band at B’ville High School than a championship caliber long distance runner. He came to Poughkeepsie, worked hard from Day 1, and kept improving each season and each year. Heck, he even has a verb named after him. When you “Joel” something or you “Joel” a race, you do something extraordinary or you set a major PR. Joel made a career out of “Joel-ing” his races – not to mention his GPA. He is a sub-15:00 5k runner, an IC4A qualifier in the 10,000, a varsity runner on some of the best XC teams in school history, a valued lead-by-example captain. His final race here was a testament to all that is Joel: He did not “Joel” it, but he ran hard and he ran tough, and he finished ahead of a lot of athletes with much more lengthy resumes than his own (look it up, and you’ll see what I mean). Someday, 30 years from now, I will tell stories of that Joel Moss guy who came to Marist unheralded and became one of our best runners ever. If I am fortunate enough to coach another Joel Moss in my lifetime, I will be a happy man indeed.

Final thoughts: IC4A 10,000, Will Griffin

IC4A Championships, 137th annual

Friday, May 10, 2013

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

10,000-meter run

10-Will Griffin 31:05.69

70, 2:24 (74), 3:37 (73), 4:49 (72)

6:01 (72), 7:13 (72), 8:25 (72), 9:37 (72)

10:49 (72), 12:04 (75), 13:18 (74), 14:53 (75)

15:48 (75), 17:03 (75), 18:17 (74), 19:33 (76)

20:49 (76), 22:06 (77), 23:23 (77), 24:41 (78)

26:00 (79), 27:18 (78), 28:36 (78), 29:53 (77)

31:05.69 (72.69)

5km split: 15:10

Final comments: Will leaves our program after five years with several school records (indoor DMR, outdoor 4x800, outdoor 5,000, outdoor 10,000). More than that, he leaves a “good guy” legacy that will be impossible to replace. Will achieved his greatness over many years and over many injuries. Never, not once, did he let the injuries – usually devastating stress fractures – deter him from his goal of being the best distance runner he could be. And, just last week, in one final act of selflessness, Will stepped up and stepped into an epic 3,200-meter relay at MAACs. How many elite level 10,000-meter runners out there (Will owns the only sub-30:00 in school history) will take a break from their event to blast out a two-lap relay leg for their team? This past year has been bonus time as Will returned for his fifth year. He was an integral part of the team, and he extends his legacy to the current freshmen class. Fare well, Will, we will miss you.

Final thoughts: IC4A steeplechase

IC4A Championships, 137th annual

Friday, May 10, 2013

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

3,000-meter steeplechase

25-Arquimedes DelaCruz 9:27.85

71.1, 2:22.6 (71.5), 3:34.7 (72.1), 4:47.3 (72.6), 6:03.0 (75.7), 7:21.7 (78.7), -- (missed), 9:27.85

Final thoughts: As of this writing, it is not clear whether Quimes’ career is over. He is 58th on the East Region steeplechase list; the top 48 in each event earn a spot in the NCAA Championships. If 10 athletes ahead of him do not declare, we will be heading to Greensboro, N.C., for one final steeplechase. If not, it has been one hell of a ride. Over 12 seasons of competition, Quimes improved, PRed or did something remarkable each and every season. That is virtually unheard of; we have had great runners through the years, but they always have a down season or a redshirt season. The greatest runners in school history did not have that sort of linear, improving career arc. Q brought a sort of mindless toughness to races that we always joked about, but also always appreciated. This final effort here was not indicative of his body of work. But as I told him, not all great stories have happy endings. We will not let this deter from the legacy of the GOAT.

Final thoughts: IC4A 4x800 relay

IC4A Championships, 137th annual

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

3,200-meter relay

16-Marist (Chris Vanzetta 1:54.5, David Marthy 1:52.8, Matt Panebianco 1:55.5, Mark Vuono 2:00.6) 7:43.62

Final comments: We broke down this relay in a previous post. Now we try to avoid an emotional breakdown as we say goodbye to two of the finest relay runners this school has ever seen. Chris Vanzetta was always far more interested in relays than open events. In fact, if we were to look it up, I guarantee you he ran twice as many relay races as open events. And when he did, he did it with an unmatched ferocity. Matt Panebianco ran a few more open races that Vanzetta, and he did them quite well, thank you. But he was truly at his best on the relays. Matty gave us so many memories, and may have been the best coach/athlete ever, but sometimes it is the worst of times that brings out the best in people. This March at IC4As, we qualified both a 4x800 and DMR. But our team was falling apart; our 4x800 disintegrated. Our DMR was doing the same. The only way we could run is if Matty took the stick in the 400-meter leg. One little problem: He had a flu bug that would not go away; he was running a fever on and off for the better part of two weeks. Undaunted, he agreed to travel all the way to Boston and give us the gutsiest 52.1-second relay split you will ever see. He did not have to do it. It’s not his event, and he was sick as a dog. But he did; the ultimate team player. I will remember the school records. I will remember that sick leg just as much. Nicely done.

One more IC4A picture: Baton bonding

Who says track's just an individual sport? Relays bring out the best in the team aspect of things. Here is our 4x800 relay huddling up before hitting the track. They are surrounded by runners from the first section. Love this photo, and thanks to Kathryn Sheehan for taking it and sharing it with us, so that I can share it with you.

Our IC4A/ECAC family, circa 2013

Thank you to Peg Panebianco (mom of Matt) for sending along this photo of our largest contingent of athletes in school history to the outdoor IC4A/ECAC Championships at Princeton. From left: freshman Mark Vuono, senior Chris Vanzetta, senior Joel "Big Man" Moss, graduate student Kathryn Sheehan, senior Matt Panebianco, sophomore David Marthy, senior Quimes DelaCruz, senior Katie Messina. Missing was graduate student Will Griffin, who left the hotel at 5 a.m., to drive up to Massachusetts to be with his family at his sister's college graduate. Family first, as always. On a similar note, this morning our men asked me to drop them off at Wegman's before we headed to the meet, so that they could purchase Mother's Day cards for their moms. Moms, you raised great children. Happy Mother's Day to all.

IC4A Championships: Saturday's 4x800 meter relay

Our 4x800 meter relay team placed 16 of 21 teams on Saturday in a time of 7:43.62. This time is the fourth fastest in school history. Through three legs, we were on school record pace. But entering this relay, we knew we would miss captain Will Griffin, who brought home the school record last week at MAACs. Here are the splits ...

Chris Vanzetta: 1:54.5 (56 opening 400)
David Marthy: 1:52.8 (53 opening 400)
Matt Panebianco: 1:55.5 (56 opening 400)
Mark Vuono: 2:00.6 (56 opening 400)

Vanzetta, Marthy and Panebianco have been on all four of the fastest times, achieved in the past year. We will miss Vanzetta and Panebianco. Their toughness and leadership has set the standard by which all future relays must be measured. Once again, Marthy was our workhorse and he returns to provide the centerpiece of the future.

As stated previously, of the 9 athletes who competed at Princeton this weekend, 7 are graduating. We are proud of their achievements and we obviously will miss them greatly. It was our largest contingent of athletes at the outdoor IC/EC meet, and they should be proud at the standards they have set.

IC4A/ECAC Championships: Friday night results

Last week's MAAC Championships represents the end of the line for the majority of the team. But the true, final finish line for our collegiate season is almost always at the IC4A/ECAC Championships at Princeton. Oh sure, we are fortunate to have qualifiers for the USATF Junior Championships in June, and that is always a fun trip. But really, the IC4A/ECAC meet is it as far as the college season goes.

And so it was fitting that on Friday night under the lights at Princeton University, we bid our final track farewell to five seniors on our team. This is the most number of individual distance qualifiers we have had for an outdoor IC4A/ECAC meet, and it is appropriate that this group collectively saved their best for last. Congrats on Kathryn Sheehan for finishing with a personal-best time. But really, congrats to all of them for the many achievements, contributions and lasting memories they have provided – on and off the track – for the past four to five years. To say they will be missed is an immense understatement. They are family, and they are Foxes Forever.

We are not quite done down here. We have our men’s 4x800 relay competing on Saturday afternoon. We’ll post tonight’s splits and more thoughts upon our return home.

IC4A Championships, 137th annual

Friday, May 10, 2013

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

10,000-meter run

10-Will Griffin 31:05.69

18-Joel Moss 31:38.35

3,000-meter steeplechase

25-Arquimedes DelaCruz 9:27.85

ECAC Championships

Friday, May 10, 2013

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ

10,000-meter run

9-Kathryn Sheehan 36:35.37

16-Katie Messina 37:20.37

What's next: IC4A/ECAC Championships at Princeton

Friday night races
Men's steeplechase, 7 p.m.: Arquimedes DelaCruz
Women's 10,000, 8 p.m.: Kathryn Sheehan, Katie Messina
Men's 10,000, 9:15 p.m.: Will Griffin, Joel Moss
Saturday races
Men's 3,200-meter relay, 1:20 p.m.: Chris Vanzetta, David Marthy, Matt Panebianco, Mark Vuono

MAAC meet: Quimes' crazy trifecta

Inside the numbers of the MAAC meet: For those alert blog followers out there keeping score at home, you may note that senior captain Arquimedes DelaCruz did the three longest distance races at the Championships. In order, he ran the 3,000-meter steeplechase, the 10,000-meter run, and the 5,000-meter run. It was a brutal challenge, one that Quimes relished. Being an ever cautious old coach, I was wary of this idea. So I cut a deal only Quimes could live with, and with which he could be motivated: I said, break your school record in the steeple, and I'll let you do the other two races. No record, we scratch you from the rest of the meet.

Of course, he broke the school record (barely, but he did it), and the challenge was on. After the steeple, Quimes had only the women's 10,000-meter race to recover. Fortunately, the tactical ladies race was about as exciting as counting the blades of grass on the infield of the Rider track, so he had a few extra minutes to lick his wounds. After the brutally tactical men's race, in which his steeple weary legs had to shift gears, I thought he would be toast for the 5,000 on Sunday.

Nope. I was wrong. As I was sipping my coffee at the free hotel breakfast, Quimes bounded down the stairs and declared himself ready for battle. And battle he did. Check out his last 200 meters. His finish sprint in person was eye-popping, especially considering all the running he had done. Although he just missed scoring in both the 10k and 5k, he earned the respect of one and all -- teammates (well, a little scorn and ridicule from them, too), opponents, coaches. It was a brutal challenge -- 18,000 meters of hard racing, with barriers and water jumps to start!

Was this a good idea? Very good question. After his school record steeple time on Saturday afternoon, Quimes stood at 41st on the East Regional list. The top 48 are guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Regionals later this month in North Carolina. It appeared that 2013 would be a weaker than normal year in the steeple and that his 9:05.71 mark would punch him a ticket to Greensboro. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a weak year became quite strong on Sunday, all across conference championships and elsewhere, and Quimes tumbled 10 spots on the list. What does this mean? It means that our leg-weary GOAT will have to dial it up one more time in the steeple, Friday night at IC4As, in order to improve his spot on the list. Oh boy. You had to see him walking around today to realize what an issue this might be. This week calls for lots of ice and lots of rest, and maybe a few light hurdle drills. Can he do it? Was that MAAC triple a smart thing? Who knows. Time will tell. One thing's for sure: No one can question his ambition and desire to help the team, deal with discomfort and take on seemingly insurmountable challenges. For the record, once more:

Quimes' crazy triple

3,000-meter steeplechase, Saturday afternoon

2-Arquimedes DelaCruz 9:05.71 *school record, IC4A qualifier

73, 2:29 (76), 3:46 (77), 5:04 (78), 6:22 (78), 7:41 (79), 8:56 (75), 9:05.71 (9.71)

10,000-meter run, Saturday afternoon

7-Arquimedes DelaCruz 32:14.98

76, 2:31 (75), 3:47 (76), 5:05 (78)

6:22 (77), 7:40 (78), 8:59 (79), 10:17 (78)

11:32 (75), 12:52 (80), 14:11 (79), 15:29 (78)

16:49 (80), 18:10 (81), 19:31 (81), 20:52 (81)

22:13 (81), 23:34 (81), 24:53 (79), 26:07 (74)

27:21 (74), 28:35 (74), 29:49 (74), 31:04 (75)

32:14.98 (70.98)

5km: 16:09; Second 5km: 16:05.98

5,000-meter run, Sunday afternoon

7-Arquimedes DelaCruz 15:04.59

69, 2:22 (73), 3:32 (70), 4:42 (70)

5:55 (73), 7:05 (70), 8:18 (73, 9:32 (74)

10:48 (76), 12:04 (76), 13:20 (76), 14:32 (72)

15:04.59 (32.59)

MAAC Championships: Senior thoughts

The MAAC outdoor meet always brings with it a mixed bag of emotions. As Coach Chuck pointed out in his team meeting speech Saturday night in the hotel, it is the last time we are together as this group. For the seniors, it is the final finish line for a team sport and family for the past 4 or 5 years here at Marist. For us coaches, it is the abrupt end to a long and winding road of practices and competitions (although not quite, as we still have more championships in the future this spring).

Each morning when I bring my younger children to the bus stop, we listen to a short program on our local public radio station called The Writer's Almanac. The kids get a kick out of Garrison Keillor's droopy voice, as he recites the day's birthdays in history, and then reads a poem of the day. He ends every show with a trademarked and copywrite protected line: "Be well, do good work, and keep in touch."

For you graduating seniors and departing grad students, please heed Garrison Keillor's daily advice, as it relates to our program and to your lives: "Be well, do good work, and keep in touch."

MAAC Championships: Men's results

MAAC Outdoor Track Championships

Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5, 2013

Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ

Men’s results

100-meter dash

6-Jesse Aprile 11.34

11-Darren Bushey 11.61

12-Tyler Schwarz 11.63

200-meter dash

9-Darren Bushey 23.19

400-meter dash

10-Connor Dodge 53.73

800-meter run

3-David Marthy 1:53.44 (first 400, 56)

9-Matt Panebianco 1:56.75 (first 400, 57)

14-Bryan Buttigieg 1:59.43 (first 400, 57)

15-Mark Vuono 1:59.61 (first 400, 56)

16-Ty Gamble 1:59.97 (first 400, 58)

18-Kyle Hannafin 2:01.04 (first 400, 58)

1,500-meter run

7-Nick Salek 4:02.02

62, 2:10 (68), 3:12 (62), 4:02.02 (65.02 last 400m)

5,000-meter run

3-Will Griffin 14:43.46

69, 2:22 (73), 3:30 (68), 4:39 (69)

5:50 (71), 7:00 (70), 8:12 (72), 9:24 (72)

10:37 (73), 11:49 (72), 13:00 (71), 14:09 (69)

14:43.46 (34.46)

7-Arquimedes DelaCruz 15:04.59

69, 2:22 (73), 3:32 (70), 4:42 (70)

5:55 (73), 7:05 (70), 8:18 (73, 9:32 (74)

10:48 (76), 12:04 (76), 13:20 (76), 14:32 (72)

15:04.59 (32.59)

12-Ryan Scrudato 15:17.90

71, 2:23 (72), 3:34 (71), 4:44 (70)

5:59 (75), 7:11 (72), 8:26 (75), 9:39 (73)

10:54 (75), 12:08 (74), 13:26 (78), 14:42 (76)

15:17.90 (35.90)

14-Billy Posch 15:21.90

71, 2:22 (71), 3:32 (70), 4:42 (70)

5:58 (76), 7:09 (71), 8:24 (75), 9:39 (75)

10:56 (77), 12:15 (79), 13:33 (78), 14:48 (75)

15:21.90 (33.90)

15-Joel Moss 15:27.45

71, 2:23 (72), 3:33 (70), 4:44 (71)

5:59 (75), 7:12 (73), 8:27 (75), 9:42 (75)

11:00 (78), 12:18 (78), 13:36 (78), 14:51 (75)

15:27.45 (36.45)

16-Charlie Ropes 15:44.13

72, 2:24 (72), 3:35 (71), 4:47 (72)

6:01 (74), 7:14 (73), 8:30 (76), 9:48 (78)

11:08 (80), 12:29 (81), 13:49 (80), 15:08 (78)

15:44.13 (36.13)

17-Pat Rynkowski 15:58.84

72, 2:24 (72), 3:35 (71), 4:47 (72)

6:02 (75), 7:18 (76), 8:37 (79), 9:59 (82)

11:21 (82), 12:43 (81), 14:05 (82), 15:24 (79)

15:58.84 (34.84)

10,000-meter run

7-Arquimedes DelaCruz 32:14.98

76, 2:31 (75), 3:47 (76), 5:05 (78)

6:22 (77), 7:40 (78), 8:59 (79), 10:17 (78)

11:32 (75), 12:52 (80), 14:11 (79), 15:29 (78)

16:49 (80), 18:10 (81), 19:31 (81), 20:52 (81)

22:13 (81), 23:34 (81), 24:53 (79), 26:07 (74)

27:21 (74), 28:35 (74), 29:49 (74), 31:04 (75)

32:14.98 (70.98)

5km: 16:09; Second 5km: 16:05.98

8-Johnny Lee 32:56.24

76, 2:31 (75), 3:47 (76), 5:05 (78)

6:22 (77), 7:40 (78), 8:58 (78), 10:16 (78)

11:32 (76), 12:51 (79), 14:11 (80), 15:31 (80)

16:50 (79), 18:10 (80), 19:31 (81), 20:53 (82)

22:14 (81), 23:34 (81), 24:53 (79), 26:11 (78)

27:30 (79), 28:53 (83), 30:14 (81), 31:37 (83)

32:56.24 (79.24)

5km: 16:10; second 5km: 16:46.24

9-Billy Hild 33:13.45

75, 2:30 (75), 3:47 (77), 5:04 (77)

6:22 (78), 7:40 (78), 8:58 (78), 10:16 (78)

11:34 (78), 12:52 (78), 14:10 (78), 15:29 (79)

16:49 (80), 18:10 (81), 19:31 (81), 20:52 (81)

22:13 (81), 23:34 (81), 24:54 (80), 26:16 (82)

27:40 (84), 29:04 (84), 30:28 (84), 31:52 (84)

33:13.45 (81.45)

5km: 16:09; second 5km: 17:04.45

110-meter hurdles

6-Alex Cunningham 16.00

400-meter hurdles

9-Zach Berzal 58.48

10-Robert Marone 1:00.06

3,000-meter steeplechase

2-Arquimedes DelaCruz 9:05.71 *school record, IC4A qualifier

73, 2:29 (76), 3:46 (77), 5:04 (78), 6:22 (78), 7:41 (79), 8:56 (75), 9:05.71 (9.71)

6-Nick Hughes 10:25.46

76, 2:37 (81), 4:03 (86), 5:32 (89), 7:05 (93), 8:38 (93), 10:13 (95), 10:25.46 (12.46)

400-meter relay

4-Marist (Tyler Schwarz, Jesse Aprile, Darren Bushey, Alex Cunningham) 43.13

1,600-meter relay

4-Marist (Zach Berzal, Chris Vanzetta, David Marthy, Matt Panebianco) 3:27.44

3,200-meter relay

2-Marist (Chris Vanzetta 1:56.1, David Marthy 1:52.4, Matt Panebianco 1:55.7, Will Griffin 1:54.7) 7:39.27 *school record, IC4A qualifier

Javelin

6-Jake Akey 44.06 meters

Long jump

11-Aaron Kippins 5.89 meters

Men’s team standings

1-Rider 242, 2-Manhattan 185, 3-St. Peter’s 98.5, 4-Iona 81, 5-Marist 39.5

MAAC Championships: Women's results

MAAC Outdoor Track Championships

Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5, 2013

Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ

Women’s results

100-meter dash

11-Danielle Asaro 12.79

14-Alexia Santiago 13.64

16-Taylor Mead 14.22

200-meter dash

15-Danielle Asaro 26.72

20-Alexia Santiago 28.25

22-Taylor Mead 30.12

800-meter run

9-Christine Coughlin 2:20.00 (first 400, 68)

21-Lizzie Peper 2:44.67 (first 400, 76)

1,500-meter run

6-Kristen Traub 4:39.20

71, 2:26 (75), 3:41 (75), 4:39.20 (77.20 last 400m)

8-Kathryn Sheehan 4:43.01

72, 2:28 (76), 3:46 (78), 4:43.01 (75.01 last 400m)

11-Becca Denise 5:01.66

74, 2:35 (81), 4:00 (85), 5:01.66 (83.66 last 400m)

5,000-meter run

3-Katie Messina 17:44.73

85, 2:52 (87), 4:17 (85), 5:42 (85)

7:08 (84), 8:33 (85), 9:59 (86), 11:26 (87)

12:52 (86), 14:17 (85), 15:42 (85), 17:05 (83)

17:44.73 (39.73)

5-Kathryn Sheehan 17:53.69

87, 2:53 (86), 4:18 (85), 5:45 (87)

7:10 (85), 8:36 (86), 10:01 (85), 11:28 (87)

12:55 (87), 14:23 (88), 15:50 (87), 17:15 (85)

17:53.69 (38.69)

9-Erin Thompson 18:33.71

87, 2:53 (86), 4:18 (85), 5:44 (86)

7:11 (87), 8:42 (91), 10:14 (92), 11:48 (94)

13:21 (93), 14:54 (93), 16:27 (93), 17:56 (89)

18:33.71 (37.71)

11-Kelley Gould 18:52.55

88, 2:59 (91), 4:28 (89), 5:59 (91)

7:30 (91), 9:02 (92), 10:33 (91), 12:04 (91)

13:37 (93), 15:10 (93), 16:42 (92), 18:11 (89)

18:52.55 (41.55)

15-Brianna Freestone 19:13.72

86, 2:53 (87), 4:19 (86), 5:48 (89)

7:19 (91), 8:51 (92), 10:25 (94), 12:01 (96)

13:37 (96), 15:14 (97), 16:52 (98), 18:28 (96)

19:13.72 (45.72)

20-Rachel Bremer 19:41.71

87, 2:58 (91), 4:25 (87), 5:55 (90)

7:24 (89), 8:56 (92), 10:29 (93), 12:04 (95)

13:41 (97), 15:22 (101), 17:05 (103), 18:49 (104)

19:41.71 (52.71)

21-Rachel Lichtenwalner 20:16.23

87, 2:58 (91), 4:27 (89), 6:02 (95)

7:39 (97), 9:17 (98), 10:57 (100), 12:39 (102)

14:21 (102), 16:07 (106), 17:49 (102), 19:28 (99)

20:16.23 (48.23)

400-meter relay

4-Marist (Alexia Santiago, Danielle Asaro, Taylor Mead, Alex McCahill) 51.80

1,600-meter relay

5-Marist (Christine Coughlin, Kristen Traub, Becca Denise, Nicki Nesi) 4:18.14

3,200-meter relay

5-Marist (Christine Coughlin, Becca Denise, Mariella Bilello, Annie Gould) 10:06.13

3,000-meter steeplechase

3-Nicki Nesi 11:34.83

90, 3:05 (95), 4:42 (95), 6:23 (101), 8:06 (103), 9:48 (102), 11:23 (95), 11:34.83 (11.83)

Women’s team standings

1-Rider 252.5, 2-St. Peter’s 226.5, 3-Manhattan 117, 4-Iona 104, 5-Loyola 74, 6-Marist 33

MAAC Championships, Day 1 at Rider: Two more school records!

The first day of the MAAC Championships at Rider featured two school records being set on the men’s side. Combined with Jesse Aprile’s record 100-meter dash at Vassar on Friday night, this made for three school records in less than a 24-hour period – a pretty neat feat.

The first school record was a dazzling and memorable 4x800 relay, a record that featured three seniors going out in a blaze of glory. Chris Vanzetta led off with a split of 1:56.1, handing off in the lead to David Marthy. Marthy battled with Iona’s Mitch Goose step for step. Although Goose was a step faster, David’s split of 1:52.4 was truly eye-popping. Matt Panebianco battled gamely in the third leg and kept us right there with a workmanlike 1:55.7 split. Will Griffin, the most unlikely member of the team given the fact that his last race was at the 10,000-meter distance, brought it home with a wonderful 1:54.7. The final time of 7:39.27 was a school record, the first sub-7:40 in school history and an IC4A qualifier for this relay for the second spring in a row.

In the next race of the night, the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Quimes DelaCruz battled back and forth with the eventual winner from Iona and wound up in second place in a school-record time of 9:05.71. We are hopeful that this time will punch him a ticket to the NCAA Regional meet; it will be a close call. He will not race the event again at the IC4A Championships. Nick Hughes finished sixth in the steeple to get a hard-earned point. Hughes has been battling a bad back for two weeks. Under any other circumstances, he would not have raced. But given the automatic point (there were only 6 entrants), he volunteered to lace em up and finish the race.

Our final scorer of the night was Jake Akey in the javelin. Jake is a most unique member of the team. Many of his teammates barely know him. He has nowhere to practice and he has not competed all season due to a major back injury incurred during a heavy lifting session in the weight room. Despite this, he showed up on Saturday and uncorked a great throw to get a very hard-earned sixth-place finish.

The men’s 10,000-meter run was a frustrating disappointment for us. The tempo and tone of the race is dictated by the lead distance runners in the conference, who choose to take a tactical approach. This makes things difficult for our athletes to succeed, and the results were predictable.

On the women’s side, freshman Nicki Nesi medaled in the steeplechase with her third-place finish. And our 4x800 relay did an excellent job for a patched-together team.

In all, everyone set the tone for the MAAC meet for us: We don’t score much, but we give it our best and leave it all out there every step of the way. Complete results and splits will be posted after the meet on Sunday night

MAAC Championships, Day 1

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ

Men’s results

3,200-meter relay

2-Marist (Chris Vanzetta, David Marthy, Matt Panebianco, Will Griffin) 7:39.27 *school record, IC4A qualifier

3,000-meter steeplechase

2-Arquimedes DelaCruz 9:05.71 *school record, IC4A qualifier

6-Nick Hughes 10:25.46

10,000-meter run

7-Arquimedes DelaCruz 32:14.98

8-Johnny Lee 32:56.24

9-Billy Hild 33:13.45

Javelin

6-Jake Akey 44.06 meters

Long jump

11-Aaron Kippins 5.89 meters

Women’s results

3,200-meter relay

5-Marist (Christine Coughlin, Becca Denise, Mariella Bilello, Annie Gould) 10:06.13

3,000-meter steeplechase

3-Nicki Nesi 11:34.83

Forever Foxes, at altitude

While the modern-day Red Foxes are at Rider for the MAAC Championships -- details on Day 1 coming in moments -- check out this murderer's row of Former Foxes out in Colorado for the blessed nuptials of CT (Matt Szymaszek, in the center). CT is flanked by Bambi, Quinn, Rolek, Walsh, Prinz and Schab. A dapper bunch, to be sure!

Vassar meet: Results, splits, comments

Below are the complete splits from last night. Thanks to Matt Panebianco (5k) and Deedy (10k) for helping in the later and longer races. A few more comments about last night …

--Deedy! Dude is a rock star. First off, no one tops him in the MAAC mustache department. No one. He is in a league of his own. And oh by the way, he continued his PR parade with a very strong and very inspiring 1,500 -- this after spending the first few hours of the meet working in the medical tent for his athletic training hours. Great season from start to finish, and we hope to carry over that momentum into the fall. Nicely done.

--Speaking of inspiring, how about Kyle Hannafin’s bold second-section win in the 1,500 – also in a personal-best time. Kyle got a bit aggressive midrace and his last 200 suffered as a result. But he went for it, he looked good, and he raced great. Good stuff. Same goes for Ricky Willi, who had a strong PR in the 1,500.

--The 10km was a Marist lovefest, as our athletes were the only ones in it and their teammates lined the track as the night grew chilly (perfect for the 25 laps). Is there a more true and perfect captain than Ken Walshak, who sacrificed himself and paced the entire 25 laps of the race? He paced, he cajoled, he inspired – and he got Omar (BRO-mar) Perez to PR by a whopping 31 seconds and a negative split effort. At one point, Omar was getting impatient and wanted to push Kenny out of the way to go faster. But Kenny insisted on the steady, steady pace and it worked out well. Doug Ainscow had a strong PR effort. The wheels came off a bit after 8km, but he hung tough out there. And what a warrior effort out of Schanz in his final race in the red and white. His feet were a bloodied mess after the race, but he left it all out there. We are proud of him, and all of them. And, we are thankful for the Vassar track and facilities staff for allowing us to continue this fine end-of-the-meet 10km tradition long after everyone around loses interest in the meet.

--Quietly in the 5km, after a slow start, Ryan Colabella and Kevin O'Sullivan ran great races with strong finishes. We look forward to them wearing the Marist uniform again after this redshirt season for both.

--Lastly, some may wonder why we have splits for a SUNY New Paltz athlete in the 5km. Rob Gorski ran for us last year before transferring across the river. “Stan” is still the man, and he has maintained a close relationship with our guys and our team. He ran a great PR and closed very strong. Once a Fox, always a Fox. Nice job, Stanley!

Matthew Vassar Twilight Meet

Vassar College track

Poughkeepsie, NY

Friday, May 3, 2013

Men’s results

100-meter dash

1-Jesse Aprile 11.08 *school record, previous record 11.09 by Dan Hagendorn, 1999

3-Darren Bushey 11.53

400-meter dash

1-Connor Dodge 53.17

800-meter run

6-Mark Vuono 1:59.80

1,500-meter run

9-Kyle Hannafin 4:15.34 (personal best)

66, 2:15 (69), 3:22 (67), 4:15.34 (69.34 last 400m)

11-Pat Deedy 4:18.14 (personal best)

67, 2:15 (68), 3:25 (70), 4:18.14

16-Ricky Willi 4:25.08 (personal best)

69, 2:20 (71), 3:33 (73), 4:25.08

28-Adam Osowski (unattached) 4:43.52

70, 2:22 (72), 3:41 (79), 4:43.52

5,000-meter run

2-Ryan Colabella (unattached) 15:30.41

78, 2:30 (72), 3:45 (75), 5:01 (76)

6:15 (74), 7:30 (75), 8:44 (84), 10:01 (77)

11:17 (76), 12:32 (75), 13:44 (72), 14:55 (71)

15:30.41 (35.41) (last 1km, 2:58.41)

4-Kevin O’Sullivan (unattached) 15:38.11

79, 2:32 (73), 3:49 (77), 5:04 (75)

6:18 (74), 7:33 (75), 8:48 (75), 10:02 (74)

11:17 (75), 12:32 (75), 13:48 (76), 15:02 (74)

15:38.11 (36.11)

6-Ian Dorset 15:42.47

79, 2:32 (73), 3:45 (73), 5:01 (76)

6:15 (74), 7:30 (75), 8:46 (76), 10:02 (76)

11:18 (76), 12:35 (77), 13:52 (77), 15:07 (75)

15:42.47 (35.47)

7-Rob Gorski (SUNY New Paltz) 15:43.46 (personal best)

79, 2:32 (73), 3:48 (76), 5:04 (76)

6:19 (75), 7:35 (76), 8:51 (76), 10:08 (77)

11:25 (77), 12:42 (77), 13:58 (76), 15:10 (72)

15:43.46 (33.46)

8-Mark Valentino (unattached) 16:12.68

79, 2:32 (73), 3:49 (77), 5:05 (76)

6:21 (76), 7:37 (76), 8:55 (78), 10:13 (78)

11:32 (79), 12:52 (80), 14:14 (82), 15:34 (80)

16:12.68 (38.68)

12-Mike Keegan 16:32.46

80, 2:35 (75), 3:53 (78), 5:11 (78)

6:29 (78), 7:48 (79), 9:09 (81), 10:30 (81)

11:51 (81), 13:14 (83), 14:37 (83), 15:58 (81)

16:32.46 (34.46)

13-Justin Tampellini 16:35.34

79, 2:35 (76), 3:53 (78), 5:11 (78)

6:29 (78), 7:48 (79), 9:09 (81), 10:30 (81)

11:54 (84), 13:18  (84), 14:39 (81), 15:58 (79)

16:35.34 (37.34)

10,000-meter run

1-Omar Perez 33:13.09 (personal best)

79, 2:41 (82), 4:01 (80), 5:20 (79)

6:38 (78), 7:57 (79), 9:19 (82), 10:39 (80)

12:00 (81), 13:21 (81), 14:41 (80), 16:02 (81)

17:21 (79), 18:43 (82), 20:02 (79), 21:20 (78)

22:39 (79), 23:58 (79), 25:16 (78), 26:37 (81)

27:57 (80), 29:18 (81), 30:37 (79), 31:58 (81)

33:13.09 (75.09)

5km: 16:40; second 5km: 16:33.09

2-Ken Walshak (unattached) 33:13.18

78, 2:40 (82), 4:00 (80), 5:19 (79)

6:38 (79), 7:56 (78), 9:18 (82), 10:38 (80)

11:59 (81), 13:20 (81), 14:40 (80), 16:01 (81)

17:21 (80), 18:43 (82), 20:02 (79), 21:20 (78)

22:39 (79), 23:58 (79), 25:16 (78), 26:37 (81)

27:57 (80), 29:17 (80), 30:36 (79), 31:57 (81)

33:13.18 (76.18)

5km: 16:40; second 5km: 16:33.18

3-Doug Ainscow 33:47.44 (personal best)

79, 2:41 (82), 4:01 (80), 5:20 (79)

6:38 (78), 7:57 (79), 9:19 (82), 10:39 (80)

12:00 (81), 13:21 (81), 14:41 (80), 16:02 (81)

17:21 (79), 18:44 (83), 20:03 (79), 21:23 (80)

22:43 (80), 24:04 (81), 25:26 (82), 26:47 (81)

28:12 (85), 29:37 (85), 31:04 (87), 32:29 (85)

33:47.44 (78.44)

5km: 16:40; second 5km: 17:07.44

4-Will Schanz 33:56.56

79, 2:40 (81), 4:00 (80), 5:19 (79)

6:38 (79), 7:57 (79), 9:18 (81), 10:38 (80)

11:59 (81), 13:20 (81), 14:40 (80), 16:01 (81)

17:21 (80), 18:44 (83), 20:03 (79), 21:23 (80)

22:45 (82), 24:07 (82), 25:32 (85), 26:56 (84)

28:22 (86), 29:46 (84), 31:13 (87), 32:37 (84)

33:56.56 (79.56)

5km: 16:40; second 5km: 17:16.56

3,000-meter steeplechase

1-Mark Valentino (unattached) 9:45.07

71, 2:26 (75), 3:42 (76), 5:00 (78), 6:20 (80), 7:41 (81), 9:03 (82), 9:45.07 (42.07)

2-Chris Reynolds 10:08.28

72, 2:28 (76), 3:49 (81), 5:12 (83), 6:36 (84), 8:00 (84), 9:25 (85), 10:08.28 (43.28)

Women’s results

100-meter dash

8-Taylor Mead 14.35

800-meter run

10-Catherine Ferreri 2:32.59 (first 400m, 72.65)

High jump

1-Siobhan Pokorney 1.35 meters

Vassar meet: Jesse Aprile sprints to 100-meter dash school record!

It was a great night of track among family, friends, team members and all others at what amounts to a home meet for us at Vassar College. As usual, the weather was perfect, the events were competitive and our athletes had great performances top to bottom. It certainly helps having a meet 10 minutes from home!

The far-and-away highlight of the night was Jesse Aprile’s stunningly dominant school-record performance in the 100-meter dash. Jesse bolted out of the blocks and never looked back, winning the dash in 11.08 seconds. This eclipses the previous record of 11.09 seconds, which was set way back in 1999. This was a truly thrilling moment for us all, and a much-needed silver lining in what has otherwise been a clouded outdoor season for Coach Terry Horton. Jesse has been battling injury issues (who hasn't?) the past few weeks, but he shed those worries with one glorious sprint down the straightaway. Here's hoping he can carry that momentum forward into Sunday's MAAC meet in his events.

Jesse wasn’t the only individual champion on Friday evening. Other winners included: Connor Dodge (400-meter dash); Mark Valentino (3,000 steeplechase); Omar Perez (10,000-meter run), Siobhan Pokorney (high jump).

There were also many personal-best times recorded (other than Jesse’s, obviously). They included: Kyle Hannifin, Pat Deedy and Ricky Willi in the 1,500; Omar Perez and Doug Ainscow in the 10,000; Kevin O’Sullivan and our old pal Rob Gorski (now running for SUNY New Paltz) in the 5,000; Catherine Ferreri in the 800. I will post splits and hopefully some photos a bit later on, hopefully before heading down to Rider for the MAAC meet on Saturday morning.

To one and all, competitors, team members, friends, family, Vassar Track, officials, etc. …. NICELY DONE on what is quite honestly among the best and most fun nights of the year for our program.

Matthew Vassar Twilight Meet

Vassar College track

Poughkeepsie, NY

Friday, May 3, 2013

Men’s results

100-meter dash

1-Jesse Aprile 11.08 *school record, previous record 11.09 by Dan Hagendorn, 1999

3-Darren Bushey 11.53

400-meter dash

1-Connor Dodge 53.17

800-meter run

6-Mark Vuono 1:59.80

1,500-meter run

9-Kyle Hannafin 4:15.34 (personal best)

11-Pat Deedy 4:18.14 (personal best)

16-Ricky Willi 4:25.08 (personal best)

28-Adam Osowski (unattached) 4:43.52

5,000-meter run

2-Ryan Colabella (unattached) 15:30.41

4-Kevin O’Sullivan (unattached) 15:38.11

6-Ian Dorset 15:42.47

7-Rob Gorski (SUNY New Paltz) 15:43.46 (personal best)

8-Mark Valentino (unattached) 16:12.68

12-Mike Keegan 16:32.46

13-Justin Tampellini 16:35.34

10,000-meter run

1-Omar Perez 33:13.09 (personal best)

2-Ken Walshak (unattached) 33:13.18

3-Doug Ainscow 33:47.44 (personal best)

4-Will Schanz 33:56.56

3,000-meter steeplechase

1-Mark Valentino (unattached) 9:45.07

2-Chris Reynolds 10:08.28

Women’s results

100-meter dash

8-Taylor Mead 14.35

800-meter run

10-Catherine Ferreri 2:32.59

High jump

1-Siobhan Pokorney 1.35 meters