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.