Welcome back

Hello men. It's been a while between posts, as we are "in between" seasons. I'll do my best to update this space regularly. As you know, my life is busy and sometimes there are gaps. I hope you understand.

To recap cross country one last time: It was a strong, positive season. There were far more positives than negatives. We achieved a lot of personal and team goals, we fell short on others. In other words: Life. We've had better seasons historically; we've had a lot worse ones as well. Again: Life.

Weather was more of a factor at meets than I can remember in years. Specifically, heat. Again: Life happens. We persevered after a midseason meltdown at Mets. Lesser teams would have folded up their tents and packed it in. This team did the exact opposite. Three weeks later at MAACs, we had another dominant performance, our best team moment of the season. And then we culminated it with a strong IC4A performance. Regionals was weird, as has been chronicled. But again, I cannot fault the effort nor the training.

And so we move on.

It has been a pleasure to meet one-on-one with you guys to discuss training, long-term and short-term goals. As a coach, it's what I live for. The longer I do this, the more I enjoy the PROCESS of coaching as much if not more than the RESULTS (meets, etc). And so this feeling out process -- especially with you freshmen, as I get to know you guys as runners -- is really a lot of fun. I hope you think I am "ill" as one recruit asked Duggan about me. Ha!

You guys are obviously very motivated, as each of you has gone out of your way to meet with me during this crazy week for me personally. If you have not yet pinned me down, let's do it this coming week. It's important. For me. For you.

The training groups this winter/spring will be:

1. Mid-distance (800 on down). This group will race mostly the 800, with occasional relay efforts and out of event races, not about 1000 meters.
2. Mile/3k (Distance 1). This group will race predominantly the mile/3k, but also will go up and down as needed or desired.
3. 3k/5k (Distance 2). This group will race predominantly the 3k/5k indoors and longer outdoors. Rarely if ever will these guys race under 3k, and when they do it will be an "out of event" meet to be sure. Also, this group is less likely to race frequently indoors.

I am rejuvenated and looking forward to indoors.

Embrace the training. The weather's cold and it's dark more frequently. Now is the time to work. To do work. It's all ahead of us now.

'Tis the season to be ... running.

See you soon.

2007 season is over

It was an unusual and successful season for us. Unusual in that we had crazy warm weather, which hampered early-season performances and through us all out of kilter. Successful in that we nailed the MAAC meet and the IC4A meet, and had several strong individual performances at the Regional meet.

We hit some goals, missed others ... in other words, a pretty typical season.

I will do a more in-depth analysis in the coming days/weeks. I'm just glad we ended the season on a positive note with a strong IC4A performance, which has become our tradition at that meet.

VCP list, updated through 2007

Top team performances in school history at Van Cortlandt Park (through 2007)

1. MAAC Championships, October 27, 2006
Girma Segni 25:17.0
David Raucci 25:38.7
Conor Shelley 25:46.1
John Keenan 26:18.4
Justin Harris 26:40.0
Total time, top 5: 2:09:40.2
Average time: 25:56.0

2. ICAAAA Championships, November 18, 2006
David Raucci 25:32.9
Girma Segni 25:37.5
Justin Harris 26:10.9
Conor Shelley 26:12.5
Tom Williams 26:27.8
Total time, top 5: 2:10:01.6
Average time: 26:00.3

3. MAAC Championships, October 26, 2007
Girma Segni 25:21.0
David Raucci 25:29.8
Mike Rolek 26:04.0
Conor Shelley 26:16.5
John Keenan 26:56.7
Total time, top 5: 2:10:08.0
Average time: 26:01.6

4. Metropolitan Championships, October 6, 2006
Girma Segni 25:15.5
David Raucci 25:45.2
Conor Shelley 25:54.4
Justin Harris 26:33.1
Mike Cator 26:43.2
Total time, top 5: 2:10:12.9
Average time: 26:02.6

5. ICAAAA Championships, November 17, 2007
Girma Segni 25:36
David Raucci 25:38
Mike Rolek 26:10
Conor Shelley 26:19
Adam Vess 26:49
Total time, top 5: 2:10:32.0
Average time: 26:06.4

6. ICAAAA Championships, November 18, 2000
Mike Nehr 25:58.7
Jason Grady 26:04.7
Jamal Padgett 26:09.7
Greg Salamone 26:11.6
Pat Driscoll 26:28.6
Total time, top 5: 2:10:53.5
Average time: 26:10.7

7. MAAC Championships, October 28, 2005
Girma Segni 25:29.3
David Raucci 25:54.4
Mike Rolek 26:35.0
Matt Szymaszek 26:51.6
John Keenan 26:54.1
Total time, top 5: 2:11:44.4
Average time: 26:20.9

Van Cortlandt Park sub-26:30 list, all-time (through 2007)
Name Time Month/Year
Mike Melfi 25:11 10/1998
Mike Melfi 25:12.3 11/1998
Girma Segni 25:13.5 09/2007
Girma Segni 25:15.5 10/2006
Girma Segni 25:17.0 10/2006
Girma Segni 25:21.0 10/2007
Jerry Scholder 25:25 11/1976
Girma Segni 25:29.3 10/2005
David Raucci 25:29.8 10/2007
David Raucci 25:32.9 11/2006
Jerry Scholder 25:35.3 10/1978
Girma Segni 25:36 11/2007
Girma Segni 25:37.5 11/2006
David Raucci 25:38 11/2007
Kirk Dornton 25:38.1 11/2002
David Raucci 25:38.7 10/2006
Girma Segni 25:41.8 11/2005
Girma Segni 25:42.7 09/2005
Kirk Dornton 25:45.0 10/2002
David Raucci 25:45.2 10/2006
Conor Shelley 25:46.1 10/2006
David Raucci 25:49.7 09/2005
Kirk Dornton 25:50.0 11/2002
David Raucci 25:51.0 09/2007
Kirk Dornton 25:51.5 10/2003
Don Reardon 25:51 10/1987
Mike Nehr 25:52.2 11/2001
Pete Pazik 25:54 09/1984
David Raucci 25:54.4 10/2005
Conor Shelley 25:54.4 10/2006
Ben Hefferon 25:58.6 11/1998
Mike Nehr 25:58.7 11/2000
David Raucci 25:59.5 10/2005
Jerry Scholder 26:02 10/1977
Jason Grady 26:02.8 09/2000
Matt Cole 26:02.9 10/1978
Kirk Dornton 26:02.9 10/2001
Jamal Padgett 26:03.5 11/2001
Greg Salamone 26:03.9 10/1999
Mike Rolek 26:04.0 09/2007
Jason Grady 26:04.7 11/2000
Ron Gadziala 26:05.2 10/1978
Mike Nehr 26:06.6 09/2000
Dave Swift 26:07 09/1994
Mike Nehr 26:07.5 09/2001
Jamal Padgett 26:09.7 11/2000
Mike Rolek 26:10 11/2007
Don Reardon 26:10 10/1986
Kirk Dornton 26:10.0 09/2001
Justin Harris 26:10.9 11/2006
Justin Harris 26:11.4 10/2004
Greg Salamone 26:11.6 11/2000
Greg Salamone 26:11.9 11/1998
Don Reardon 26:12 09/1984
Kirk Dornton 26:12 11/2003
Geoff Decker 26:12.5 10/2003
Conor Shelley 26:12.5 11/2006
Bob Coufal 26:14 11/1977
Geoff Decker 26:14 11/2003
Jerry Scholder 26:14.8 10/1978
Fred Kolthay 26:15 11/1976
Glen Middleton 26:15 10/1984
Jason Grady 26:15.7 11/2002
Greg Salamone 26:16.0 10/1999
Conor Shelley 26:16.5 10/2007
Jason Grady 26:16.8 10/2002
Girma Segni 26:17 10/2007
Steve Hicks 26:18 10/2004
Ben Hefferon 26:18 10/1997
John Keenan 26:18.4 10/2006
Pat Driscoll 26:18.6 11/2001
Conor Shelley 26:19 11/2007
Jerry Scholder 26:20 09/1977
Kirk Dornton 26:20.5 10/2003
Geoff Decker 26:21.3 09/2004
Justin Harris 26:23 11/2004
Marty Feeney 26:23 10/1992
Greg Salamone 26:24.1 10/1999
David Raucci 26:24.3 11/2005
Jamal Padgett 26:24.6 11/2002
Greg Salamone 26:25 10/1998
Jamal Padgett 26:25.8 10/2001
Geoff Decker 26:27.0 09/2003
Tom Williams 26:27.8 11/2006
Geoff Decker 26:27.9 10/2003
Pat Driscoll 26:28.8 11/2000
Jerry Scholder 26:29 10/1976
Justin Harris 26:29.1 09/2004

Analysis of IC4A field

Normally, when I receive a list of teams in our race, I break it down and figure out which teams we are hoping to run well against, etc.

I'M NOT DOING THAT FOR THIS MEET.

As stated in the last post, this meet is about pure running, pure racing. Free and easy. Go down there for the love of the sport and the love of the competition and ... you guessed it ... JUST RACE.

The field is a strong one and will enable us to run fast times if we are physically and mentally prepared.

Pure running. Pure racing. Just race.

IC4A Championships: Who is in our race

Here is a list of teams in the IC4A Championship Division:

Columbia
Delaware
Duke
Duquesne
George Mason
Georgetown
Iona
La Salle
Marist
UMass
New Hampshire
Princeton
Rider
Saint Joseph's
William and Mary
Yale
Cornell

Why Van Cortlandt matters

With the disappointment of our missed team goal at Regionals still fresh in my mind, I had an interesting thought today as I ambled slowly through the McCann Center parking lot.

How you judge teams and performances -- from meet to meet and from year to year -- is relative and in some ways arbitrary. I mean, it's not like we get to choose which league, conference or region we get to be affiliated with. There are no "rules" that say we get to run against teams with the same amount of scholarship funding, facilities, etc. Listen, I'm not using any of this stuff as excuses in any way, nor am I trying to feel sorry for myself or for you guys. We could have run better on Saturday, and we did not.

But again, we must be careful how we judge ourselves, and perspective is very important. A former runner of mine called and commented how well he thought we ran at regionals based on our fast 10k times -- especially compared to past years and past programs on the Franklin Park course (heck, our JV top 5 was as good or better than past varsity teams on that course in that meet!. I downplayed it, saying we didn't get the job done. But I thanked him and it gave me pause to think.

Again: Put us in a different conference (say, a conference that we used to be affiliated with before the MAAC), and we might be perennial champs and hanging banners in the gym. We are not, and yet we relish the satisfaction of being a strong 2nd to a national powerhouse. It may get us somewhat overlooked internally, and Internet threads out there can go on and on about what a weak D1 conference we are in. Like we have a choice. Such is life. Put us in a big-time power conference and maybe we are middle/back of the pack, and running strong and putting in the same ball-busting effort that I love about you guys.

What does it all mean? It all boils down to effort. Heart. Guts. It's also why I love our VCP list and our VCP history. We run the course enough. The course is the same as it always was. Sure, we have hot days; windy days; rainy days; cold days. But over the course of 4 years of running at VCP -- individually and as a team -- we pretty much know where we stack up in the history of Marist Running.

Doesn't matter what conference we are in.
Doesn't matter which IC4A race we run in.
Doesn't matter what team placement we get.

Your VCP time is who you are, as a collegiate cross country runner, and in the history of our Marist program.

You get one last crack at the course on Saturday -- for the year (underclassmen) and for your career (seniors). Try to make the most of it. Savor it.

Most importantly, treat IC4As for what it truly is: Pure running. Pure racing. It's why we go to this meet, and other teams just go home. Pure running. Pure racing.

As Jut always liked to say: Just race.

And remember: Van Cortlandt Park matters.

Looking ahead: ICAAAA

Who is running what ...

JV race, 9:30 a.m.
Bryan Dixon
Pat Duggan
Theo Marak
Greg Masto
Matt Maynes
Sam McMullen
Zak Smetana
Nick Webster

Varsity race, 10:15 a.m.
Tom Dixon
Alex Emerel
Matt Janczyk
Tim Keegan
John Keenan
David Raucci
Shane Reilly
Mike Rolek
Girma Segni
Conor Shelley
Joe Tarantello
Adam Vess

What is the ICAAAA?
For the new guys, a little perspective. The IC4A stands for the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America. It is older than the NCAA. This cross country championship is the 99th annual IC4A meet. Prior to 1996, the IC4A meet was a HUGE deal. It acted as the NCAA Championship qualifier for what is now District 1 and District 2. It was a huge meet. The NCAA determined that having two regions qualify in the same race was not "fair," forcing the current NCAA Regional format and forcing the IC4A meet to be separate from the process. The IC4A meet moved to a mid-season date (two weeks prior to conference, roughly same timeframe as current UAlbany meet) but due to lack of attendance, it moved to this season-ending date a few years later.

IC4A teams are basically in the East and Northeast, but many southern schools are in the conference as well. It is still a big meet, but not nearly as big as it used to be. It is a BIG meet in the history of the Marist program as we have attended ICs pretty much every year. There are two divisions: Championship and University. We have raced in both, and have had success in both. This year, we are entered in the Championship Division. We placed 5th in that division in 2006, our best finish in school history. We won the University Division in 2000, obviously our best finish in that division.

What does it mean to us?
It is our season-ending meet, and the final cross country race in the careers of the seniors. Fittingly, it is at Van Cortlandt Park, where we race most frequently. So it gives the seniors -- and everyone else -- one final crack at the famed 5-mile course. Our goal is to carry through our peak phase through Saturday and end the season on a positive note.

Splits, splits, more splits

Varsity race, Saturday:
1 mile, 2 mile, 5k, 8k, 10k

Girma
4:51, 9:54, 15:28, 24:44, 30:45.80
David
5:01, 10:11, 15:48, 25:32, 31:57.90
Conor
4:56, 10:09, 16:03, 25:46, 32:01.45
Rolek
4:52, 10:10, 16:12, 26:08, 32:24.40
Vess
4:53, 10:08, 16:08, 26:13, 32:44.95
Keenan
4:57, 10:20, 16:25, 26:35, 32:59.15
Keegan
4:58, 10:22, 16:33, 26:50, 33:39.60

JV race, Friday
5k, 8k, 10k
Shane
16:21, 26:14, 32:33
T-Dix
16:45, 26:44, 33:10
Emerel
16:45, 26:46, 33:18
Joe-T
16:45, 26:48, 33:22
Zak
16:45, 26:56, 33:46
Janczyk
16:45, 27:32, 34:33
Duggan
17:16, 27:53, 34:40
Webster
17:14, 27:56, 34:45
Masto
17:35, 28:25, 35:25
B-Dix
17:41, 28:47, 35:52

Friday at Franklin Park

Great day for most who raced. Here are the results:

Shane Reilly 32:33, 10th
Tom Dixon 33:10, 18th
Alex Emerel 33:18, 19th
Joe Tarantello 33:22, 21st
Zak Smetana 33:46, 23rd
Matt Janczyk 34:33, 28th
Pat Duggan 34:40, 29th
Nick Webster 34:45, 31st
Greg Masto 35:25, 36th
Bryan Dixon 35:52, 39th

I believe those are PRs for everyone.

Weird day at regionals

Guys,

Strange day. Disappointing, to be sure, but different than last year.

Girma ran well. Conor ran well. Everyone else ran so-so to not-so-well. Yet as a team, if you look at the region, it would have been difficult to place a lot higher. The region is tough. I cannot fault the effort on anyone's part here. The effort was there. The result was not. That is life. I don't like it, but that is life.

It's time to regroup and get ready to end the season on a positive note at IC4As. We can do this. We must do this. I look forward to it.

Coach Pete


Segni's record-breaking performance leads men's xc at regionals

BOSTON, Mass. -- Junior Girma Segni (Bronx, NY) shattered the school record at Franklin Park's 10,000-meter cross country course Saturday, leading the Marist College men's cross country team to a 17th-place finish at the NCAA Northeast Regional Qualifier.

Segni placed 28th in 30:45.80, bettering Greg Salamone's 1999 mark of 31:17 and becoming the first Marist cross country runner under the 31:00 mark for the distance in school history. Segni's overall finish was the second best in school history, trailing only Mike Melfi's 25th-place finish at the 1998 regionals at Van Cortlandt Park. The team scored 458 points and equalled the 2006 team placement out of 41 teams in the region.

Junior David Raucci (Clermont, NY) was 87th in 31:57.90. Sophomore Conor Shelley (Rockville Centre, NY) followed closely in 93rd place, posting a personal-best time of 32:01.45. Senior captain Mike Rolek (Maplewood, NJ) was 119th in 32:24.40 and freshman Adam Vess (Cromwell, CT) rounded out the scoring pack in 141st in 32:44.95.

The men's cross country team concludes its season Saturday at the ICAAAA Championships at Van Cortlandt Park.

Team finish: Marist 17th of 41, 458 points

Marist finishers:
28. Girma Segni 30:45.80
87. David Raucci 31:57.90
93. Conor Shelley 32:01.45
119. Mike Rolek 32:24.40
141. Adam Vess 32:44.95
148. John Keenan 32:59.15
177. Tim Keegan 33:39.60

VARSITY: FIX THIS

Below is our team's history at the regional meet. 15th is the best. I want our best to be better.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.


1997: 26th, 698 points, Franklin Park
1998: 15th, 406 points, Van Cortlandt Park
1999: 18th, 524 points, Franklin Park
2000: 15th, 430 points, Van Cortlandt Park
2001: 20th, 510 points, Franklin Park
2002: 15th, 432 points, Van Cortlandt Park
2003: 16th, 442 points, Franklin Park
2004: 20th, 558 points, Van Cortlandt Park
2005: 16th, 456 points, Franklin Park
2006: 17th, 455 points, Van Cortlandt Park
2007: ?, ?, Franklin Park