Making it sound good

I should be in public relations: Here is what I wrote for the Web site (www.goredfoxes.com).

Sounds a lot better than it was, but again there were some solid performances there. Glass half full.

Vess' subpar race (for him) proves how relatively weak the 1k IC standard is.

Splits forthcoming when I can get to it.

NEW YORK -- Freshman Adam Vess (Cromwell, CT) qualified for the IC4A Championships in 1,000-meter run, leading a parade of personal-best times, as the Marist College men's track team competed Friday night at the NYC Gotham Cup, hosted by NYU at the Armory Track and Field Center in Washington Heights.

Vess, who has already qualified for the IC4A Championships in the mile run, placed sixth in the five-lap race in 2:29.88, just dipping under the IC4A standard of 2:29.95.

Three other Marist runners set personal-best times in the event. Freshman Tom Lipari (Greenvale, NY) ran 2:33.19, junior Matt Janczyk (Bristol, CT) finished in 2:33.33 and freshman Will Griffin (Columbia, CT) was next in 2:34.31 -- all personal-bests in that event.

All three Running Red Foxes in the 3,000-meter run set personal-best times. Senior captain John Keenan (Centereach, NY) was fourth in the unseeded section in 8:51.21, lopping six seconds off his previous best. Senior Joe McElhoney (Beacon, NY) was right behind in 8:52.29. But it was sophomore Pat Duggan (Rockville Centre, NY), who stole the show, breaking the 9-minute barrier for the first time in dominating fashion with his personal-best time of 8:56.45.

In the 500-meter run, all three Marist sprinters earned personal-best times in the distinctly indoor event. Junior Colin Frederickson (Colonie, NY) continued to blaze a comeback trail with a strong time of 1:08.19. Sophomore John Carabetta (Park Ridge, NJ) had a strong 2009 debut in 1:08.75. Greg Dubois (Long Valley, NJ) ran the event for the first time and clocked in at 1:10.12.

Freshman Brian McCormick (Wilbraham, MA) also earned a personal-best time of 2:01.09 in the 800-meter run. He came back later in the evening on the sixth-place 3,200-meter relay team that clocked 8:06.17. Janczyk highlighted that relay with a strong 1:59.9 800-meter leg after his 1,000-meter performance.

The Red Foxes will return to action Saturday afternoon at the Terrier Invitational at Boston University.

60-meter dash: Michael Cocca 7.47, Mike McCloskey 7.53, James Boylan 8.21
400-meter dash: John Kristie 53.80, Neal Veits 56.19
500-meter dash: Colin Frederickson 1:08.19, John Carabetta 1:08.75, Greg Dubois 1:10.12
800-meter run: Brian McCormick 2:01.09
1,000-meter run: Adam Vess 2:29.88 *IC4A qualifier; Tom Lipari 2:33.19, Matt Janczyk 2:33.33, Will Griffin 2:34.31
Mile run: Matt Flint 4:26.40, Sam McMullen 4:31.29, Zak Smetana 4:34.78
3,000-meter run: John Keenan 8:51.21, Joe McElhoney 8:52.29, Pat Duggan 8:56.45
5,000-meter run: Tim Keegan 15:30.95, Alex Emerel 16:01.45
3,200-meter relay: Marist (Kyle Havard, Matt Janczyk, Brian McCormick, Will Griffin) 8:06.17
1,600-meter relay: Marist (Mike Cocca, John Carabetta, John Kristie, Colin Frederickson) 3:30.32