Ready or not, here comes track!
The first meet of the indoor season is Saturday. Here is the complete indoor schedule. Pretty similar to past years ...
Sat, 12.4.10: Yale Season Opener
Fri, 1.7.11: Metro Coaches Collegiate at the NYC Armory
Fri, 1.14: NYC Gotham Cup, Armory
Sun, 1.23: GBTC Invitational, Harvard (still awaiting acceptance from GBTC to participate in this event?)
Fri/Sat, 1.28-1.29: Terrier Invitational, Boston University (mostly men's team, some women)
Saturday, 1.29: Metropolitan Championships, Armory (women only)
Fri/Sat, 2.4-2.5: New Balance Invitational, Armory
Fri/Sat, 2.11-2.12: Valentine Invitational, BU
Fri, 2.18: MAAC Championships, Armory
Fri, 2.25: Armory Collegiate, Armory
Sat/Sun, March 5-6: IC4A at BU; ECAC at Reggie Lewis
Monday, November 29, 2010
Gobble, gobble
Speaking of leftovers, here are a few road race morsels from Long Island ...
On Thursday at the Garden City Turkey Trot 5-miler, Marist Running was well-represented. Our own Quimes DelaCruz, fresh off his stellar XC season, was second in 25:19.5. Running right up his heels and running like he was 10 years younger and still in college, 30-year-old Marist alum (class of 2002) Mike Nehr was third overall and won his age group in 25:20.5 -- an amazing run from the ageless star.
Setting the early pace was current team captain Pat Duggan, who came in sixth overall in 26:19.5 -- much like Quimes, Duggan was coming off a great XC season.
On Sunday at Rob's Run XC 5km in Syosset, Marist Alum Matt Walsh was second overall in 15:44, overcoming a very fast opening mile. He trailed only Chris Mammone, one of the best runners on the Island, who won in 15:31.
On Thursday at the Garden City Turkey Trot 5-miler, Marist Running was well-represented. Our own Quimes DelaCruz, fresh off his stellar XC season, was second in 25:19.5. Running right up his heels and running like he was 10 years younger and still in college, 30-year-old Marist alum (class of 2002) Mike Nehr was third overall and won his age group in 25:20.5 -- an amazing run from the ageless star.
Setting the early pace was current team captain Pat Duggan, who came in sixth overall in 26:19.5 -- much like Quimes, Duggan was coming off a great XC season.
On Sunday at Rob's Run XC 5km in Syosset, Marist Alum Matt Walsh was second overall in 15:44, overcoming a very fast opening mile. He trailed only Chris Mammone, one of the best runners on the Island, who won in 15:31.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Luke's updated splits
Hello and happy post-Thanksgiving to all. Hope your holiday was a nice one.
A quick update on Luke Shane's phenomenal marathon run last week at Philadelphia. Our guy did NOT run the crazy negative splits as advertised and posted on the preliminary results, but he DID run an incredibly even effort -- which is just as good, if not better!
Here are the numbers:
First 13.1: 1:21:15
Second 13.1: 1:21:37
Final time: 2:42:52
Pretty sweet stuff.
This is basically an "off" week here at Blog Central. However, we will be down at Bowdoin Park on Saturday for the NXN Regionals. It will be cold, but sunny.
Enjoy your leftovers. Back to work on Monday.
A quick update on Luke Shane's phenomenal marathon run last week at Philadelphia. Our guy did NOT run the crazy negative splits as advertised and posted on the preliminary results, but he DID run an incredibly even effort -- which is just as good, if not better!
Here are the numbers:
First 13.1: 1:21:15
Second 13.1: 1:21:37
Final time: 2:42:52
Pretty sweet stuff.
This is basically an "off" week here at Blog Central. However, we will be down at Bowdoin Park on Saturday for the NXN Regionals. It will be cold, but sunny.
Enjoy your leftovers. Back to work on Monday.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
IC4A/ECAC in pictures
Thanks to Kathy Gould for these fine photos from Saturday of our lead runners (Matt Flint, Kiersten Anderson -- both from Section 2!), our women's team huddle, and some old coach with Girma and Vess -- that's a lot of school records in one small photo.
If I do not post again in a few days ... Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!
If I do not post again in a few days ... Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Luke rocks in Philly!
Big, big congrats to junior Luke Shane of the Marist College cross country team!
Our guy Luke ran a huge PR this morning at the Philadelphia Marathon.
Luke ran 2:42:52, a 15-minute improvement over his race at Vermont in May. And get this: It was basically 1 minute per mile faster than his 3:08 at Philly in 2009.
More stats:
--Luke was 53rd overall out of 8695 finishers so far.
--Luke was 7th in the 20-24 age group.
--Luke ran a major negative split. First half in 1:23:57. Second half in 1:18:55. Nicely done!
Luke has already signed up for the 2011 Boston Marathon. After recovering from this stellar effort, he will start his buildup for that.
Good stuff.
Our guy Luke ran a huge PR this morning at the Philadelphia Marathon.
Luke ran 2:42:52, a 15-minute improvement over his race at Vermont in May. And get this: It was basically 1 minute per mile faster than his 3:08 at Philly in 2009.
More stats:
--Luke was 53rd overall out of 8695 finishers so far.
--Luke was 7th in the 20-24 age group.
--Luke ran a major negative split. First half in 1:23:57. Second half in 1:18:55. Nicely done!
Luke has already signed up for the 2011 Boston Marathon. After recovering from this stellar effort, he will start his buildup for that.
Good stuff.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Hello there, Mr. Schab
Kudos to loyal alums Mike Schab (2005) and Colleen Ryan (2009) for their extraordinary effort to come and see the team on Saturday!
A bleary-eyed Schabby was coming off an insanely long work shift as a stage hand on some Top Secret Celebrity Project that I’m not supposed to talk about. And he’s got another extended gig coming up later tonight! Sleep was never a big priority for the Schabster, anyway.
Here’s an interesting Schab fact. In his last days of college, he was one of the last hold-out dinosaurs who refused to get a cell phone. Our boy has made a complete about-face now, and has some fancy Blackberry with all the bells and whistles, and Internet – of course. Schab told me today that his “home page” on his mobile device is this very blog. So naturally, that deserves a mention here.
As does Our Favorite Babysitter Colleen, who basically drove through the night from Kentucky to come to Vanny and see us. Honestly, this might have been the best surprise of the day! The stunned reaction and hugs that Col received from her former teammates was great.
A bleary-eyed Schabby was coming off an insanely long work shift as a stage hand on some Top Secret Celebrity Project that I’m not supposed to talk about. And he’s got another extended gig coming up later tonight! Sleep was never a big priority for the Schabster, anyway.
Here’s an interesting Schab fact. In his last days of college, he was one of the last hold-out dinosaurs who refused to get a cell phone. Our boy has made a complete about-face now, and has some fancy Blackberry with all the bells and whistles, and Internet – of course. Schab told me today that his “home page” on his mobile device is this very blog. So naturally, that deserves a mention here.
As does Our Favorite Babysitter Colleen, who basically drove through the night from Kentucky to come to Vanny and see us. Honestly, this might have been the best surprise of the day! The stunned reaction and hugs that Col received from her former teammates was great.
10 years after ...
The IC4A cross country meet means a lot to me. Actually, all IC4A meets are loaded with significance – in all three seasons.
The cross country meet is tinged with bittersweet feelings, as it is the end of the line for graduating seniors in a sport they have probably done for 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 years. And while there are two more seasons of track, there is nothing like the team-bonding camaraderie that is fostered with cross country. I have had many a graduating senior shed a tear or three at the finish line at Vanny on IC4A Saturday.
Today, there were no tears that I could find. Instead, there was nothing but goofing, smiling and food. Oh man. The food was great! Thanks again, Loyal Parents of Marist Running!!!
One of my fondest memories in my earlier coaching career with the men’s team came at the IC4A Championships in 2000 at Van Cortlandt Park. We had come off a disappointing finish at the MAAC meet in Disney (not a Magical trip!) a few weeks earlier. But we knew we had a GREAT team. We just needed to prove it. At the 2000 IC4A meet, we proved it.
We were in the University Race back then. I knew we had a chance to do well. Imagine my surprise when, off in the distance, I saw Mikey Nehr – my brash and confident junior out of West Babylon – coming out of the woods in first place! He was followed closely by several of his teammates who were running in the top 10. And then P-Diddy (Pat Driscoll) topped it off with the race of his XC race of his life as our fifth man … and we won the meet! Awesome!
Somewhere on my office wall, I have a wrinkled and fading picture of the top 7 from that day, next to the first-place plaque that will forever hang in there. While the memory of that fine day lingers, what’s more rewarding is that, 10 years later, there is still a strong bond with those guys.
In fact, of the 7 runners on that championship team, no fewer than four of them were at Vanny today to cheer on the 2010 Running Red Foxes: Chris and Greg Salamone, Mike Nehr and Pat Driscoll. Awesome. The other three guys were Kirk Dornton, with whom I talk and see frequently, and whose wedding I will gladly attend next summer; Jason Grady, now a successful local coach and with whom I see and talk frequently at meets; and Jamal Padgett, who not surprisingly fell off the face of the earth … but with whom I still have random and bizarre contact, and whose wedding I was invited to but was unable to attend, a few summers ago.
I’ll never forget Reese’s (that’s Greg Salamone, by the way) comments after we won. He said something to the effect of: “Pete, you should just quit now, how can it get any better than this?” Well, 10 years later, I am reporting to you that it does get better, and not just because the team is running strong. It gets better because you guys stay in touch and keep coming back, and you were joined by other alums on Saturday, and family, and friends.
Now in the Championship Division, the men did not win today. But they ran pretty darn well, and finished off an excellent season, a season in which one alum asked me over the phone if it was our “best team ever.” That’s a debate for another day, if at all.
This much is not subject to debate: If I am fortunate enough to be alive and coaching our program in 2020, at the IC4A meet, it is my fervent hope and desire that graduating seniors Duggan, Keegan, Web, Zak, Vess, Hink and all the other 2010 XC men come back to see their gray-bearded coach doing his thing with a crop of athletes that are currently in grade school – which is where they were back in 2000. And maybe the 2000 champions, older and perhaps grayer themselves, will still be in the house as well.
More than any trophies, records and the like, that’s what this is all about, isn’t it?
The cross country meet is tinged with bittersweet feelings, as it is the end of the line for graduating seniors in a sport they have probably done for 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 years. And while there are two more seasons of track, there is nothing like the team-bonding camaraderie that is fostered with cross country. I have had many a graduating senior shed a tear or three at the finish line at Vanny on IC4A Saturday.
Today, there were no tears that I could find. Instead, there was nothing but goofing, smiling and food. Oh man. The food was great! Thanks again, Loyal Parents of Marist Running!!!
One of my fondest memories in my earlier coaching career with the men’s team came at the IC4A Championships in 2000 at Van Cortlandt Park. We had come off a disappointing finish at the MAAC meet in Disney (not a Magical trip!) a few weeks earlier. But we knew we had a GREAT team. We just needed to prove it. At the 2000 IC4A meet, we proved it.
We were in the University Race back then. I knew we had a chance to do well. Imagine my surprise when, off in the distance, I saw Mikey Nehr – my brash and confident junior out of West Babylon – coming out of the woods in first place! He was followed closely by several of his teammates who were running in the top 10. And then P-Diddy (Pat Driscoll) topped it off with the race of his XC race of his life as our fifth man … and we won the meet! Awesome!
Somewhere on my office wall, I have a wrinkled and fading picture of the top 7 from that day, next to the first-place plaque that will forever hang in there. While the memory of that fine day lingers, what’s more rewarding is that, 10 years later, there is still a strong bond with those guys.
In fact, of the 7 runners on that championship team, no fewer than four of them were at Vanny today to cheer on the 2010 Running Red Foxes: Chris and Greg Salamone, Mike Nehr and Pat Driscoll. Awesome. The other three guys were Kirk Dornton, with whom I talk and see frequently, and whose wedding I will gladly attend next summer; Jason Grady, now a successful local coach and with whom I see and talk frequently at meets; and Jamal Padgett, who not surprisingly fell off the face of the earth … but with whom I still have random and bizarre contact, and whose wedding I was invited to but was unable to attend, a few summers ago.
I’ll never forget Reese’s (that’s Greg Salamone, by the way) comments after we won. He said something to the effect of: “Pete, you should just quit now, how can it get any better than this?” Well, 10 years later, I am reporting to you that it does get better, and not just because the team is running strong. It gets better because you guys stay in touch and keep coming back, and you were joined by other alums on Saturday, and family, and friends.
Now in the Championship Division, the men did not win today. But they ran pretty darn well, and finished off an excellent season, a season in which one alum asked me over the phone if it was our “best team ever.” That’s a debate for another day, if at all.
This much is not subject to debate: If I am fortunate enough to be alive and coaching our program in 2020, at the IC4A meet, it is my fervent hope and desire that graduating seniors Duggan, Keegan, Web, Zak, Vess, Hink and all the other 2010 XC men come back to see their gray-bearded coach doing his thing with a crop of athletes that are currently in grade school – which is where they were back in 2000. And maybe the 2000 champions, older and perhaps grayer themselves, will still be in the house as well.
More than any trophies, records and the like, that’s what this is all about, isn’t it?
Reflections on women's meet and season
Reflections on women’s meet and season
Seeing freshman Kiersten Anderson entering the Back Hills on Saturday in the lead – IN THE LEAD! – gave me goosebump chill flashbacks to that 2000 meet when Mike Nehr won the University Division race for the men. Kiersten wound up second in yet another amazing performance.
While I am not admittedly the “keeper of the numbers” for the women’s team as I am for the men’s team, I think it’s safe to say that Kiersten had one of the best freshman XC seasons of any women’s runner we’ve had. And she did that despite battling through early- and mid-season injuries that nearly curtailed the whole season. It was great to see.
This fall’s season was a rough one for our ladies, it really was. We had a lot of unexpected twists and turns, and in some cases the results were less than what we were hoping for. But, from my glass-half-full perspective, here’s what I saw: Effort. Strong effort, in pretty much every meet and every race.
Despite the bad breaks, the ladies that ran gave it their all and rarely got discouraged by what we were enduring. And that was gratifying to see. Nothing is guaranteed for the future, but I believe it is bright for our women’s program. Coach Chuck is recruiting hard to build up our depth, and our luck is already improving in the injury department.
Hopefully, this will start to manifest itself in track, and then big-time next fall. I have faith that’s exactly what will happen.
Seeing freshman Kiersten Anderson entering the Back Hills on Saturday in the lead – IN THE LEAD! – gave me goosebump chill flashbacks to that 2000 meet when Mike Nehr won the University Division race for the men. Kiersten wound up second in yet another amazing performance.
While I am not admittedly the “keeper of the numbers” for the women’s team as I am for the men’s team, I think it’s safe to say that Kiersten had one of the best freshman XC seasons of any women’s runner we’ve had. And she did that despite battling through early- and mid-season injuries that nearly curtailed the whole season. It was great to see.
This fall’s season was a rough one for our ladies, it really was. We had a lot of unexpected twists and turns, and in some cases the results were less than what we were hoping for. But, from my glass-half-full perspective, here’s what I saw: Effort. Strong effort, in pretty much every meet and every race.
Despite the bad breaks, the ladies that ran gave it their all and rarely got discouraged by what we were enduring. And that was gratifying to see. Nothing is guaranteed for the future, but I believe it is bright for our women’s program. Coach Chuck is recruiting hard to build up our depth, and our luck is already improving in the injury department.
Hopefully, this will start to manifest itself in track, and then big-time next fall. I have faith that’s exactly what will happen.
Crunching some IC4A numbers
As I said in a previous post, I definitely have more of a records database stored for our men’s team. Here is some historical perspective and analysis of our IC4A history as a team, and our current VCP history on the “construction course,” and why the 2010 meet on balance was a strong effort top to bottom for the men.
Team history
Since our win in the University Division at this meet in 2000, here is what we have done each year since.
2001: 11th place, 391 points
2002: 12th place, 313 points (All-East, Kirk Dornton, 20th place, 25:50)
2003: 11th place, 263 points
2004: 5th in University Division with 145 points
2005: 2nd in University Division with 98 points
2006: 5th place, 161 points (All-East: David Raucci, 13th place, 25:32.9; Girma Segni, 15th place, 25:37.5)
2007: 8th place, 216 points (All-East: Girma Segni, 14th place, 25:36; David Raucci, 15th place, 25:38)
2008: 3rd place, 102 points (All-East: David Raucci, 2nd place, 25:13; Girma Segni, 16th place, 25:43; Tim Keegan, 22nd place, 25:49; Will Griffin, 25th place, 25:54)
2009: 6th place, 153 points (All-East: Matt Flint, 12th place, 25:48.5; Will Griffin, 23rd place, 26:07.7)
2010 Men’s team standings
1-Duke 44, 2-Duquesne 141, 3-Harvard and Central Connecticut 147, 5-Marist 162, 6-George Mason 189, 7-Columbia 190, 8-Albany 201, 9-William & Mary 209, 10-Syracuse 239, 11-Iona 273, 12-Princeton 318, 13-Delaware 340, 14-Boston College 344, 15-La Salle and Rider 346, 17-U Mass 446, 18-St. Joseph’s 489, 19-Boston University 551
Individual results analysis:
This year’s “construction course” was much better than last year. However, I will still consider it “more difficult” than the Original VCP course in this regard: The amount of flat terrain between the Back Hills and Cemetery Hill is significantly shorter than the original. That makes the back end of the course harder.
Having said that, the Championship Division race today was as deep and as fast as I can ever remember it! The conditions were pretty good; the strong winds that were forecast never materialized. It was chilly, but it was above average racing weather, in my opinion.
IC4As is an odd meet. It’s a week after Regionals, which for most is a tough and draining race. Some programs do not bring their “A game” squads. We usually choose to bring our best team. Once again, we were without the services of Adam Vess. Today, Vess’ absence was finally felt, as our gap from 4 man to 5 man was larger than we would have liked. Such is life, and this is how it is during a long cross country season.
Again, though, look at these numbers below, and you’ll see significant improvement for almost every member of the team. Listed here are today’s results again, with the previous VCP “construction course” personal-best times in parenthesis. In many cases, there is a startling improvement in performance, which is exactly what we are looking for (**indicates a (in most cases, significant) VCP construction PR)
7-Matt Flint 25:11.5 (25:48.5)**
14-Arquimedes DelaCruz 25:26.4 (27:00.2)**
26-Will Griffin 25:32.6 (26:07.7)**
34-Ken Walshak 25:47.8 (26:25.28)**
84-Tim Keegan 26:32.6 (26:26.2)
90-Pat Duggan 26:38.7 (26:57.98)**
98-Nick Webster 26:45.1 (26:47.22)**
114-Joel Moss 26:58.3 (27:37.75)**
124-Ryan Scrudato 27:08.9 (first time at VCP)
129-Mike Nicoletti 27:14.5 (27:38.04)**
148-Nick Hughes 27:49.4 (27:12.90). Note: Knee injury.
Coaches Association race
5-Brian Townsend 27:05.1 (28:46.0)**
7-Nick Salek 27:16.6 (28:31)**
8-Isaiah Miller 27:22.9 (28:01)**
12-Ryan Brown 27:30.9 (28:40.7)**
14-Kevin O’Sullivan 27:41.1 (first time at VCP)
15-Mike Keegan 27:42.4 (28:35)**
17-Billy Posch 27:44.1 (27:26.92). Note: Foot injury.
21-Ryan Fitzsimons 27:56.2 (29:54.2)**
22-Zak Smetana 28:04.7 (27:04.5)
28-Ben Windisch 28:16.0 (first time at VCP)
32-Pat Deedy 28:24.2 (28:13)
35-Will Schanz 28:31.3 (28:25)
37-Billy Hild 28:36.9 (30:18)**
44-Doug Ainscow 28:48.3 (28:48)
49-Brendan Green 29:55.8 (30:53.4)**
Team history
Since our win in the University Division at this meet in 2000, here is what we have done each year since.
2001: 11th place, 391 points
2002: 12th place, 313 points (All-East, Kirk Dornton, 20th place, 25:50)
2003: 11th place, 263 points
2004: 5th in University Division with 145 points
2005: 2nd in University Division with 98 points
2006: 5th place, 161 points (All-East: David Raucci, 13th place, 25:32.9; Girma Segni, 15th place, 25:37.5)
2007: 8th place, 216 points (All-East: Girma Segni, 14th place, 25:36; David Raucci, 15th place, 25:38)
2008: 3rd place, 102 points (All-East: David Raucci, 2nd place, 25:13; Girma Segni, 16th place, 25:43; Tim Keegan, 22nd place, 25:49; Will Griffin, 25th place, 25:54)
2009: 6th place, 153 points (All-East: Matt Flint, 12th place, 25:48.5; Will Griffin, 23rd place, 26:07.7)
2010 Men’s team standings
1-Duke 44, 2-Duquesne 141, 3-Harvard and Central Connecticut 147, 5-Marist 162, 6-George Mason 189, 7-Columbia 190, 8-Albany 201, 9-William & Mary 209, 10-Syracuse 239, 11-Iona 273, 12-Princeton 318, 13-Delaware 340, 14-Boston College 344, 15-La Salle and Rider 346, 17-U Mass 446, 18-St. Joseph’s 489, 19-Boston University 551
Individual results analysis:
This year’s “construction course” was much better than last year. However, I will still consider it “more difficult” than the Original VCP course in this regard: The amount of flat terrain between the Back Hills and Cemetery Hill is significantly shorter than the original. That makes the back end of the course harder.
Having said that, the Championship Division race today was as deep and as fast as I can ever remember it! The conditions were pretty good; the strong winds that were forecast never materialized. It was chilly, but it was above average racing weather, in my opinion.
IC4As is an odd meet. It’s a week after Regionals, which for most is a tough and draining race. Some programs do not bring their “A game” squads. We usually choose to bring our best team. Once again, we were without the services of Adam Vess. Today, Vess’ absence was finally felt, as our gap from 4 man to 5 man was larger than we would have liked. Such is life, and this is how it is during a long cross country season.
Again, though, look at these numbers below, and you’ll see significant improvement for almost every member of the team. Listed here are today’s results again, with the previous VCP “construction course” personal-best times in parenthesis. In many cases, there is a startling improvement in performance, which is exactly what we are looking for (**indicates a (in most cases, significant) VCP construction PR)
7-Matt Flint 25:11.5 (25:48.5)**
14-Arquimedes DelaCruz 25:26.4 (27:00.2)**
26-Will Griffin 25:32.6 (26:07.7)**
34-Ken Walshak 25:47.8 (26:25.28)**
84-Tim Keegan 26:32.6 (26:26.2)
90-Pat Duggan 26:38.7 (26:57.98)**
98-Nick Webster 26:45.1 (26:47.22)**
114-Joel Moss 26:58.3 (27:37.75)**
124-Ryan Scrudato 27:08.9 (first time at VCP)
129-Mike Nicoletti 27:14.5 (27:38.04)**
148-Nick Hughes 27:49.4 (27:12.90). Note: Knee injury.
Coaches Association race
5-Brian Townsend 27:05.1 (28:46.0)**
7-Nick Salek 27:16.6 (28:31)**
8-Isaiah Miller 27:22.9 (28:01)**
12-Ryan Brown 27:30.9 (28:40.7)**
14-Kevin O’Sullivan 27:41.1 (first time at VCP)
15-Mike Keegan 27:42.4 (28:35)**
17-Billy Posch 27:44.1 (27:26.92). Note: Foot injury.
21-Ryan Fitzsimons 27:56.2 (29:54.2)**
22-Zak Smetana 28:04.7 (27:04.5)
28-Ben Windisch 28:16.0 (first time at VCP)
32-Pat Deedy 28:24.2 (28:13)
35-Will Schanz 28:31.3 (28:25)
37-Billy Hild 28:36.9 (30:18)**
44-Doug Ainscow 28:48.3 (28:48)
49-Brendan Green 29:55.8 (30:53.4)**
ECAC/IC4A results from today
What a great day at Van Cortlandt Park!
The weather was awesome -- the forecasted strong winds never really materialized.
The post-race parents' tailgate was incredible -- alumni and athletes from other teams even crashed it. The more the merrier! Thanks to all who contributed the great bounty of food.
And oh yeah ... the teams ran pretty well, too.
Individually for the women, freshman Kiersten Anderson had a banner day. She was 2nd in the ECAC University Division race in 18:10.3 on the 5K course. Coach Chuck provided me with the following highlights:
--She earned ECAC University All-East honors (goes to top-25 finishers)
--She tied the best individual finish in school history (Addie DiFrancesco from 2008)
--Her 18:10.3 breaks Liza Grudzinski's VCP school record of 18:23, set in 2002. Nicely done!!
In addition:
--Erin O'Reilly ran a VCP personal-best time
--Briana Crowe ran an overall 5km cross country personal-best time
Here is the complete stats for the women.
ECAC University Division Championships
Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx
5-kilometer course
Women’s team standings:
1-U Albany 49, 2-Monmouth 99, 3-Towson 104, 4-St. John’s 161, 5-Marist 179, 6-Binghamton 209, 7-Sacred Heart 219, 8-Bucknell 281, 9-Pittsburgh 288, 10-Fordham 307, 11-Holy Cross 321, 12-Rider 323, 13-Central Connecticut 330, 14-New Hampshire 346, 15-Robert Morris 358, 16-Fairfield 361, 17-Temple 447, 18-Hofstra 464, 19-Manhattan 491, 20-Seton Hall 548, 21-NJIT 575, 22-Siena 614, 23-Longwood 619
Individual results
2-Kiersten Anderson 18:10.3 *ECAC University Division All-East
35-Erin O’Reilly 19:16.6
40-Briana Crowe 19:20.9
50-Katie Messina 19:35.0
53-Kathryn Sheehan 19:36.3
77-Julie Hudak 20:00.4
79-Kara Lightowler 20:03.3
96-Jillian Corley 20:16.5
97-Kelley Hanifin 20:17.0
110-Kelley Gould 20:25.5
139-Dayna McLaughlin 20:53.0
152-Allyson O’Brien 21:08.7
Coaches Association Race results
7-Tara Nuccitelli 20:18.1
14-Elizabeth O’Brien 20:36.3
15-Miy Mahran 20:44.9
18-Becca Denise 21:00.9
26-Kim Bartlett 21:34.7
27-Laura Lindsley 21:39.7
29-Colleen Smith 21:44.4
39-Natalie Rowland 23:01.4
44-Ashley Jensen 23:15.7
The men had a pretty strong day as well. Our gap from 4 to 5 hurt us, but overall everyone ran great with a lot of current VCP personal-best times (as you will see). More number-crunching analysis of that in a future post.
The fifth-place finish was the second highest in school history (we were 2nd in 2008) and we were just 21 points out of second place today.
Matt Flint and a hard-charging Quimes DelaCruz earned All-East honors and both ran big PRs. Will Griffin and Fab Freshman Kenny Walshak finished out strong varsity seasons with big PRs as well.
The guys in the Coaches Association race really rocked it too. In particular, Big Blog Follower Billy Hild improved his time from Mets by 1:48. Nicely done, Mr. Fresh!
It was a great way for this awesome senior class to go out.
More analysis later ...
Men’s team standings
1-Duke 44, 2-Duquesne 141, 3-Harvard and Central Connecticut 147, 5-Marist 162, 6-George Mason 189, 7-Columbia 190, 8-Albany 201, 9-William & Mary 209, 10-Syracuse 239, 11-Iona 273, 12-Princeton 318, 13-Delaware 340, 14-Boston College 344, 15-La Salle and Rider 346, 17-U Mass 446, 18-St. Joseph’s 489, 19-Boston University 551
Individual results
7-Matt Flint 25:11.5 *IC4A Championship All-East (personal best)
14-Arquimedes DelaCruz 25:26.4 *IC4A Championship All-East (personal best)
26-Will Griffin 25:32.6 (personal best)
34-Ken Walshak 25:47.8 (personal best)
84-Tim Keegan 26:32.6
90-Pat Duggan 26:38.7 (personal best)
98-Nick Webster 26:45.1 (personal best)
114-Joel Moss 26:58.3 (personal best)
124-Ryan Scrudato 27:08.9 (personal best)
129-Mike Nicoletti 27:14.5 (personal best)
148-Nick Hughes 27:49.4
Coaches Association race
5-Brian Townsend 27:05.1 (personal best)
7-Nick Salek 27:16.6 (personal best)
8-Isaiah Miller 27:22.9 (personal best)
12-Ryan Brown 27:30.9 (personal best)
14-Kevin O’Sullivan 27:41.1 (personal best)
15-Mike Keegan 27:42.4 (personal best)
17-Billy Posch 27:44.1
21-Ryan Fitzsimons 27:56.2 (personal best)
22-Zak Smetana 28:04.7
28-Ben Windisch 28:16.0 (personal best)
32-Pat Deedy 28:24.2
35-Will Schanz 28:31.3
37-Billy Hild 28:36.9 (personal best)
44-Doug Ainscow 28:48.3 (personal best)
49-Brendan Green 29:55.8 (personal best)
The weather was awesome -- the forecasted strong winds never really materialized.
The post-race parents' tailgate was incredible -- alumni and athletes from other teams even crashed it. The more the merrier! Thanks to all who contributed the great bounty of food.
And oh yeah ... the teams ran pretty well, too.
Individually for the women, freshman Kiersten Anderson had a banner day. She was 2nd in the ECAC University Division race in 18:10.3 on the 5K course. Coach Chuck provided me with the following highlights:
--She earned ECAC University All-East honors (goes to top-25 finishers)
--She tied the best individual finish in school history (Addie DiFrancesco from 2008)
--Her 18:10.3 breaks Liza Grudzinski's VCP school record of 18:23, set in 2002. Nicely done!!
In addition:
--Erin O'Reilly ran a VCP personal-best time
--Briana Crowe ran an overall 5km cross country personal-best time
Here is the complete stats for the women.
ECAC University Division Championships
Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx
5-kilometer course
Women’s team standings:
1-U Albany 49, 2-Monmouth 99, 3-Towson 104, 4-St. John’s 161, 5-Marist 179, 6-Binghamton 209, 7-Sacred Heart 219, 8-Bucknell 281, 9-Pittsburgh 288, 10-Fordham 307, 11-Holy Cross 321, 12-Rider 323, 13-Central Connecticut 330, 14-New Hampshire 346, 15-Robert Morris 358, 16-Fairfield 361, 17-Temple 447, 18-Hofstra 464, 19-Manhattan 491, 20-Seton Hall 548, 21-NJIT 575, 22-Siena 614, 23-Longwood 619
Individual results
2-Kiersten Anderson 18:10.3 *ECAC University Division All-East
35-Erin O’Reilly 19:16.6
40-Briana Crowe 19:20.9
50-Katie Messina 19:35.0
53-Kathryn Sheehan 19:36.3
77-Julie Hudak 20:00.4
79-Kara Lightowler 20:03.3
96-Jillian Corley 20:16.5
97-Kelley Hanifin 20:17.0
110-Kelley Gould 20:25.5
139-Dayna McLaughlin 20:53.0
152-Allyson O’Brien 21:08.7
Coaches Association Race results
7-Tara Nuccitelli 20:18.1
14-Elizabeth O’Brien 20:36.3
15-Miy Mahran 20:44.9
18-Becca Denise 21:00.9
26-Kim Bartlett 21:34.7
27-Laura Lindsley 21:39.7
29-Colleen Smith 21:44.4
39-Natalie Rowland 23:01.4
44-Ashley Jensen 23:15.7
The men had a pretty strong day as well. Our gap from 4 to 5 hurt us, but overall everyone ran great with a lot of current VCP personal-best times (as you will see). More number-crunching analysis of that in a future post.
The fifth-place finish was the second highest in school history (we were 2nd in 2008) and we were just 21 points out of second place today.
Matt Flint and a hard-charging Quimes DelaCruz earned All-East honors and both ran big PRs. Will Griffin and Fab Freshman Kenny Walshak finished out strong varsity seasons with big PRs as well.
The guys in the Coaches Association race really rocked it too. In particular, Big Blog Follower Billy Hild improved his time from Mets by 1:48. Nicely done, Mr. Fresh!
It was a great way for this awesome senior class to go out.
More analysis later ...
Men’s team standings
1-Duke 44, 2-Duquesne 141, 3-Harvard and Central Connecticut 147, 5-Marist 162, 6-George Mason 189, 7-Columbia 190, 8-Albany 201, 9-William & Mary 209, 10-Syracuse 239, 11-Iona 273, 12-Princeton 318, 13-Delaware 340, 14-Boston College 344, 15-La Salle and Rider 346, 17-U Mass 446, 18-St. Joseph’s 489, 19-Boston University 551
Individual results
7-Matt Flint 25:11.5 *IC4A Championship All-East (personal best)
14-Arquimedes DelaCruz 25:26.4 *IC4A Championship All-East (personal best)
26-Will Griffin 25:32.6 (personal best)
34-Ken Walshak 25:47.8 (personal best)
84-Tim Keegan 26:32.6
90-Pat Duggan 26:38.7 (personal best)
98-Nick Webster 26:45.1 (personal best)
114-Joel Moss 26:58.3 (personal best)
124-Ryan Scrudato 27:08.9 (personal best)
129-Mike Nicoletti 27:14.5 (personal best)
148-Nick Hughes 27:49.4
Coaches Association race
5-Brian Townsend 27:05.1 (personal best)
7-Nick Salek 27:16.6 (personal best)
8-Isaiah Miller 27:22.9 (personal best)
12-Ryan Brown 27:30.9 (personal best)
14-Kevin O’Sullivan 27:41.1 (personal best)
15-Mike Keegan 27:42.4 (personal best)
17-Billy Posch 27:44.1
21-Ryan Fitzsimons 27:56.2 (personal best)
22-Zak Smetana 28:04.7
28-Ben Windisch 28:16.0 (personal best)
32-Pat Deedy 28:24.2
35-Will Schanz 28:31.3
37-Billy Hild 28:36.9 (personal best)
44-Doug Ainscow 28:48.3 (personal best)
49-Brendan Green 29:55.8 (personal best)
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Potter mania
The new Harry Potter movie debuts tonight. This is a BIG DEAL for many people, including many members of the Marist Running Family. I had no idea what a big deal this is. Until today.
Remember that I am a total pop-culture illiterate. I don't watch movies. Other than baseball and weather, I do not watch TV. In the car, I listen to NPR and sports talk -- not necessarily in that order. (By the way, don't even GET ME STARTED on the AL Cy Young Award winner announcement today ... but that's another story!)
This new Harry Potter movie is also a BIG DEAL in my house. On Friday night, my wife and two older kids are going to see the new movie in the theater. James (the youngest) and I are staying home, hosting a bunch of men's cross country runners/video game enthusiasts that you might know, for a night of pizza and Mario Kart. James will be thrilled to be surrounded by a bunch of overgrown children with whom he can play.
Tonight, as I type this, we are hosting a mini-Harry Potter party in our den. Along with our children, we have several neighborhood kids and friends over to watch the sixth (I think?) HP movie -- the most recent one before the new one -- as a primer for the Big Night at the Movies tomorrow night.
The quest for this HP movie basically consumed me during practice time today. Sophomore Billy Posch, a huge Potter fan, said he had the movie we needed. Great! He brought it down to practice on Wednesday. However, upon further investigation, all he had was Disc 2 -- you know, out-take, special effects, and the like. Not good.
And then, as I was teaching class this morning, the alarming text from Posch came: "Pete having a little prblem cant find the movie ill keep looking though."
Immediately, panic set in. What to do? We have a mini-Potter Party planned in the den ... and no movie! What, am I gonna put in my Yankeeography DVDs? Sure, that would go over great with the kids!
Posch kept looking. Word spread around the men's and women's teams. Urgent, urgent, coach Pete needs Harry Potter DVD. Texts were exchanged. Rooms were searched. Fortunately, a "friend of Andrew James" came through with a somewhat sketchy version of the video. Good enough, bro! We are about 40 minutes into it, and everyone is happy.
Final note: I am not mad at Posch. In fact, I am touched (but not surprised) but his incredible kindness. After failing to come up with the elusive movie, Billy offered to go to Blockbuster and rent it for us! A sweet sentiment, a generous offer, that will not be forgotten.
And now ... back to ignoring the movie and stewing over the AL Cy Young Award ...
Remember that I am a total pop-culture illiterate. I don't watch movies. Other than baseball and weather, I do not watch TV. In the car, I listen to NPR and sports talk -- not necessarily in that order. (By the way, don't even GET ME STARTED on the AL Cy Young Award winner announcement today ... but that's another story!)
This new Harry Potter movie is also a BIG DEAL in my house. On Friday night, my wife and two older kids are going to see the new movie in the theater. James (the youngest) and I are staying home, hosting a bunch of men's cross country runners/video game enthusiasts that you might know, for a night of pizza and Mario Kart. James will be thrilled to be surrounded by a bunch of overgrown children with whom he can play.
Tonight, as I type this, we are hosting a mini-Harry Potter party in our den. Along with our children, we have several neighborhood kids and friends over to watch the sixth (I think?) HP movie -- the most recent one before the new one -- as a primer for the Big Night at the Movies tomorrow night.
The quest for this HP movie basically consumed me during practice time today. Sophomore Billy Posch, a huge Potter fan, said he had the movie we needed. Great! He brought it down to practice on Wednesday. However, upon further investigation, all he had was Disc 2 -- you know, out-take, special effects, and the like. Not good.
And then, as I was teaching class this morning, the alarming text from Posch came: "Pete having a little prblem cant find the movie ill keep looking though."
Immediately, panic set in. What to do? We have a mini-Potter Party planned in the den ... and no movie! What, am I gonna put in my Yankeeography DVDs? Sure, that would go over great with the kids!
Posch kept looking. Word spread around the men's and women's teams. Urgent, urgent, coach Pete needs Harry Potter DVD. Texts were exchanged. Rooms were searched. Fortunately, a "friend of Andrew James" came through with a somewhat sketchy version of the video. Good enough, bro! We are about 40 minutes into it, and everyone is happy.
Final note: I am not mad at Posch. In fact, I am touched (but not surprised) but his incredible kindness. After failing to come up with the elusive movie, Billy offered to go to Blockbuster and rent it for us! A sweet sentiment, a generous offer, that will not be forgotten.
And now ... back to ignoring the movie and stewing over the AL Cy Young Award ...
Quick notes on Saturday
Looking forward to our season-ending IC4A/ECAC meet at Van Cortlandt Park ...
1. Team Parents are planning a post-race feed (I'm trying to secure a Marist tent, but it may become a flying hazard ... more on that next) at the park. Thanks in advance to all that are contributing. Should be fun.
2. Just checked Accuweather.com. It will be sunny. It will be windy. Very windy. As in, exclamation point windy, on that site. So maybe that tent isn't a good idea?
The wind is coming out of the west, which is not great but not terrible either. The worst wind at Vanny is from the south, because it is in your face a lot. West wind is a crosswind for some of the race. Advice to racers: Don't break the wind for your fellow competitors. Draft.
See you soon ...
1. Team Parents are planning a post-race feed (I'm trying to secure a Marist tent, but it may become a flying hazard ... more on that next) at the park. Thanks in advance to all that are contributing. Should be fun.
2. Just checked Accuweather.com. It will be sunny. It will be windy. Very windy. As in, exclamation point windy, on that site. So maybe that tent isn't a good idea?
The wind is coming out of the west, which is not great but not terrible either. The worst wind at Vanny is from the south, because it is in your face a lot. West wind is a crosswind for some of the race. Advice to racers: Don't break the wind for your fellow competitors. Draft.
See you soon ...
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Fan mail from across the river
Received this email earlier this week ...
"Pete, congratulations on another successful season. I am not surprised because your runners are just a hard working bunch. I see them running through Highland, especially on Tillson and Vineyard avenues. They have run completely uphill since getting off the Walkway and they do not seem the least bit tired. Keep up the good work and see you at the Mid-Hudson Bridge tolls."
The person who sent the e-mail is a toll collector on the bridge, and a loyal Red Fox supporter. I see him at Marist basketball games all the time.
It's nice for our athletes to be recognized in a positive fashion by members of the community.
Each year, without fail, we usually get one complaint call about "those damn Marist runners hogging the road and getting in the way of cars."
So positive e-mail about our running on the roads is always nice.
"Pete, congratulations on another successful season. I am not surprised because your runners are just a hard working bunch. I see them running through Highland, especially on Tillson and Vineyard avenues. They have run completely uphill since getting off the Walkway and they do not seem the least bit tired. Keep up the good work and see you at the Mid-Hudson Bridge tolls."
The person who sent the e-mail is a toll collector on the bridge, and a loyal Red Fox supporter. I see him at Marist basketball games all the time.
It's nice for our athletes to be recognized in a positive fashion by members of the community.
Each year, without fail, we usually get one complaint call about "those damn Marist runners hogging the road and getting in the way of cars."
So positive e-mail about our running on the roads is always nice.
IC4A/ECAC information
Hello all. Here is information regarding Saturday's races at Van Cortlandt Park.
9:30 a.m.: ECAC (women's) Coaches' race. We will have several ladies running in this race.
9:40 a.m.: IC4A (men's) Coaches' race. We will have MANY men running in this race
10:30 a.m.: ECAC Championship race. We will NOT be in this race.
11 a.m.: IC4A Championship race. We will run 12 men in the varsity in this race.
11:45 a.m.: ECAC University Division race. We will run 12 women in the varsity in this race.
12:15 p.m.: IC4A University Division race. We will NOT be in this race.
The weather forecast is calling for a sunny and breezy day, highs in the upper 40s to near 50. Not too shabby for November 20.
Hope to see you there.
9:30 a.m.: ECAC (women's) Coaches' race. We will have several ladies running in this race.
9:40 a.m.: IC4A (men's) Coaches' race. We will have MANY men running in this race
10:30 a.m.: ECAC Championship race. We will NOT be in this race.
11 a.m.: IC4A Championship race. We will run 12 men in the varsity in this race.
11:45 a.m.: ECAC University Division race. We will run 12 women in the varsity in this race.
12:15 p.m.: IC4A University Division race. We will NOT be in this race.
The weather forecast is calling for a sunny and breezy day, highs in the upper 40s to near 50. Not too shabby for November 20.
Hope to see you there.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Regionals in pictures
Thanks to Mr. Anderson (Kiersten's dad) and Mr. Webster (Nick's dad) for providing the above photos from a sunny Saturday in Connecticut.
The best/worst action photo has to be Quimes (Crazy Q) DelaCruz, stunningly leading the pack!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
NCAA Regionals: A perfect 10th
It was certainly a memorable day at the regionals on Saturday. So many things made this a day that this old coach will recall for a long time. Here’s a random list of post-weekend thoughts from a record-breaking day for the Running Red Foxes …
--Entering the meet, our men’s team was ranked 14th in the region. Although I believed we were better than that, I also felt it was a fair ranking in that all the teams in front of us – not to mention a few behind us and even a couple that were unranked – are extremely solid programs.
In my humble opinion, the region was the deepest it had ever been. As always, the Ivy League teams were strong. This was one of those years where I felt every Ivy League team could have finished ahead of us, even if we were at our best. Add to that the fact that there were three America East schools that were ranked ahead of us, not to mention the usual front-running suspects with the national rankings, and it was getting very crowded up there trying to nudge our way back into the top 10. Realistically, we could have run our very best race and finished no higher than 12th.
Of course, things happen – to us, to all teams. It is the nature of the pressure-cooker race that is NCAA Regionals. I cannot analyze other teams' performances because I do not have enough information on them. In our case, our tough-luck, top-flight runner – Adam Vess – DNFed despite giving it a valiant effort. He blacked out on the course, but fortunately did no major damage to his body (we hope).
It’s how your team reacts to these difficulties that makes it worth it, and our varsity men really answered the call.
--For four years (2005 through 2008), we always discussed the potent 1-2 punch of Girma Segni and David Raucci. Quietly and steadily, the 1-2 punch of juniors Matt Flint and Will Griffin have done what I thought could not be repeated so soon in my coaching tenure. And, they have done it with toughness and consistency that is so appreciated. Today was no different.
--At one point, relatively early in the race, I was freaking out because I could not see Will (after the mile) and could not see Flint (around 4km). I wasn’t the only one that missed Flint, which of course led to a panic attack on my part. It was crowded out there, and they were plugging away with the best runners in our region. A couple of frantic cell calls to Tommy Lipari, who told me they were both running great, calmed my nerves.
--Sophomore Quimes DelaCruz inexplicably went out like a bat out of hell. He was in the top 10 early in the race, and I was convinced our boy Q had lost his mind once and for all. I could hear his crazed voice in my head. He was probably thinking: “Das right, das right, I’m the Greatest and I’m gonna show the world I’m the Greatest.” Oh boy. He did fade a bit, but he recovered late in the race and passed many runners from 8km to 10km – as instructed. He might be nuts, but he does listen, Most of the time, anyway.
--Ken Walshak ran his usual solid race that we have come to expect of him. He is a freshman, but Kenny runs with the tenacity, toughness and consistency of upperclassmen like Will and Flint. And he does not scare on a big stage like this.
--Senior Nick Webster made the day. He ran tough and smart early, and he had an eye-popping kick. This was clearly his finest hour as a collegiate cross country runner. It is particularly gratifying for me, because Web was our alternate for the past two regional meets – at best, a difficult proposition (Side note: Freshman Nick Hughes filled this role today in a classy manner; his time will come). Being the Fine Citizen of our program for four years, Web never complained about his fate and always supported the team. For him to nail this race perfectly and fill that crucial 5th scoring spot for us is something I will never forget.
--While senior captain Timmy Keegan did not score, he went out hard, raced tough and really pushed our team to perform well. I fully expect Tim to finish his XC career with a flourish on a course (VCP) that he has had plenty of success on during his great four-year run.
--The team support was phenomenal. I was so glad to see about a dozen of our guys make the long road trip on Saturday morning to support the varsity men. I vaguely remember body-slamming Ryan Scrudato and Joel Moss (and maybe others?) in excitement toward the end of the meet.
--Freshman Billy Hild boldly predicted a ninth-place finish by our men before the race. While I felt that anything was possible, that was certainly a pie-in-the-sky goal. I told Billy if our men did that, I would kiss him on the cheek for his great faith in our team. We were pretty close to his pre-race prediction, but thankfully I did not have to smooch his prickly, unshaven face.
--The family support was great, as usual. It is never taken for granted. Thank you all!
A quick note on the women’s race: From my perspective, I felt our ladies competed well and visually to me seemed to compete better than at MAACs. Kiersten Anderson went out very hard and hung tough for a strong placement. According to my calculations, she was the ninth freshman in the field – very excellent! The rest of our scoring ladies finished in a tight pack and ran reasonably well – but our region is very deep, and those places piled up quickly in front of us.
The XC season wraps up next Saturday at the IC4A/ECAC meet. We hope to see many family, friends and alumni there. More on that early next week.
NCAA Northeast Regional
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Hammonasset State Park, Madison, CT
Men’s team standings:
1-Syracuse 56, 2-Iona 63, 3-Providence 113, 4-Dartmouth 138, 5-Columbia 146, 6-Cornell 232, 7-Boston U 239, 8-Brown 240, 9-U Mass 264, 10-Marist 288, 11-Yale 304, 12-Harvard 327, 13-U Albany 357, 14-Binghamton 397, 15-Northeastern 399, 16-Central Connecticut 403, 17-Buffalo 459, 18-Army 478, 19-Boston College 487, 20-Stony Brook 510, 21-Maine 596, 22-Fordham 617, 23-Vermont 649, 24-Connecticut 659, 25-Colgate 662, 26-Hartford 748, 27-Sacred Heart 754, 28-Wagner 770, 29-New Hampshire 778, 30-Manhattan 788, 31-Niagara 832, 32-Hofstra 873, 33-Fairfield 941, 34-Quinnipiac 1032, 35-Siena 1046
Marist finishers
10,000 meters
30. Matt Flint 30:52.7
38. Will Griffin 31:04.9
61. Arquimedes DelaCruz 31:29.5
72. Ken Walshak 31:42.8
87. Nick Webster 31:56.6
128. Tim Keegan 32:38.3
DNF – Adam Vess
Women’s team standings
1-Syracuse 78, 2-Stony Brook 83, 3-Providence 87, 4-Boston College 92, 5-Columbia 206, 6-Cornell 209, 7-Brown 226, 8-Dartmouth 271, 9-New Hampshire 273, 10-Boston U 315, 11-Yale 323, 12-Iona 332, 13-Connecticut 353, 14-Harvard 389, 15-Colgate 394, 16-Maine 395, 17-Army 480, 18-Vermont 482, 19-U Mass 493, 20-Quinnipiac 536, 21-Holy Cross 613, 22-Rhode Island 700, 23-Marist 712, 24-Northeastern 729, 25-Binghamton 753, 26-Buffalo 754, 27-Central Connecticut 854, 28-St. John’s 860, 29-Fordham 870, 30-Sacred Heart 900, 31-Niagara 901, 32-Fairfield 923, 33-Manhattan 952, 34-Hofstra 1011, 35-Siena 1078
Marist finishers
6,000 meters
52-Kiersten Anderson 21:29.6
153-Briana Crowe 23:01.7
162-Katie Messina 23:08.2
176-Erin O’Reilly 23:18.4
177-Kathryn Sheehan 23:20.5
184-Jillian Corley 23:39.8
DNF – Julie Hudak
--Entering the meet, our men’s team was ranked 14th in the region. Although I believed we were better than that, I also felt it was a fair ranking in that all the teams in front of us – not to mention a few behind us and even a couple that were unranked – are extremely solid programs.
In my humble opinion, the region was the deepest it had ever been. As always, the Ivy League teams were strong. This was one of those years where I felt every Ivy League team could have finished ahead of us, even if we were at our best. Add to that the fact that there were three America East schools that were ranked ahead of us, not to mention the usual front-running suspects with the national rankings, and it was getting very crowded up there trying to nudge our way back into the top 10. Realistically, we could have run our very best race and finished no higher than 12th.
Of course, things happen – to us, to all teams. It is the nature of the pressure-cooker race that is NCAA Regionals. I cannot analyze other teams' performances because I do not have enough information on them. In our case, our tough-luck, top-flight runner – Adam Vess – DNFed despite giving it a valiant effort. He blacked out on the course, but fortunately did no major damage to his body (we hope).
It’s how your team reacts to these difficulties that makes it worth it, and our varsity men really answered the call.
--For four years (2005 through 2008), we always discussed the potent 1-2 punch of Girma Segni and David Raucci. Quietly and steadily, the 1-2 punch of juniors Matt Flint and Will Griffin have done what I thought could not be repeated so soon in my coaching tenure. And, they have done it with toughness and consistency that is so appreciated. Today was no different.
--At one point, relatively early in the race, I was freaking out because I could not see Will (after the mile) and could not see Flint (around 4km). I wasn’t the only one that missed Flint, which of course led to a panic attack on my part. It was crowded out there, and they were plugging away with the best runners in our region. A couple of frantic cell calls to Tommy Lipari, who told me they were both running great, calmed my nerves.
--Sophomore Quimes DelaCruz inexplicably went out like a bat out of hell. He was in the top 10 early in the race, and I was convinced our boy Q had lost his mind once and for all. I could hear his crazed voice in my head. He was probably thinking: “Das right, das right, I’m the Greatest and I’m gonna show the world I’m the Greatest.” Oh boy. He did fade a bit, but he recovered late in the race and passed many runners from 8km to 10km – as instructed. He might be nuts, but he does listen, Most of the time, anyway.
--Ken Walshak ran his usual solid race that we have come to expect of him. He is a freshman, but Kenny runs with the tenacity, toughness and consistency of upperclassmen like Will and Flint. And he does not scare on a big stage like this.
--Senior Nick Webster made the day. He ran tough and smart early, and he had an eye-popping kick. This was clearly his finest hour as a collegiate cross country runner. It is particularly gratifying for me, because Web was our alternate for the past two regional meets – at best, a difficult proposition (Side note: Freshman Nick Hughes filled this role today in a classy manner; his time will come). Being the Fine Citizen of our program for four years, Web never complained about his fate and always supported the team. For him to nail this race perfectly and fill that crucial 5th scoring spot for us is something I will never forget.
--While senior captain Timmy Keegan did not score, he went out hard, raced tough and really pushed our team to perform well. I fully expect Tim to finish his XC career with a flourish on a course (VCP) that he has had plenty of success on during his great four-year run.
--The team support was phenomenal. I was so glad to see about a dozen of our guys make the long road trip on Saturday morning to support the varsity men. I vaguely remember body-slamming Ryan Scrudato and Joel Moss (and maybe others?) in excitement toward the end of the meet.
--Freshman Billy Hild boldly predicted a ninth-place finish by our men before the race. While I felt that anything was possible, that was certainly a pie-in-the-sky goal. I told Billy if our men did that, I would kiss him on the cheek for his great faith in our team. We were pretty close to his pre-race prediction, but thankfully I did not have to smooch his prickly, unshaven face.
--The family support was great, as usual. It is never taken for granted. Thank you all!
A quick note on the women’s race: From my perspective, I felt our ladies competed well and visually to me seemed to compete better than at MAACs. Kiersten Anderson went out very hard and hung tough for a strong placement. According to my calculations, she was the ninth freshman in the field – very excellent! The rest of our scoring ladies finished in a tight pack and ran reasonably well – but our region is very deep, and those places piled up quickly in front of us.
The XC season wraps up next Saturday at the IC4A/ECAC meet. We hope to see many family, friends and alumni there. More on that early next week.
NCAA Northeast Regional
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Hammonasset State Park, Madison, CT
Men’s team standings:
1-Syracuse 56, 2-Iona 63, 3-Providence 113, 4-Dartmouth 138, 5-Columbia 146, 6-Cornell 232, 7-Boston U 239, 8-Brown 240, 9-U Mass 264, 10-Marist 288, 11-Yale 304, 12-Harvard 327, 13-U Albany 357, 14-Binghamton 397, 15-Northeastern 399, 16-Central Connecticut 403, 17-Buffalo 459, 18-Army 478, 19-Boston College 487, 20-Stony Brook 510, 21-Maine 596, 22-Fordham 617, 23-Vermont 649, 24-Connecticut 659, 25-Colgate 662, 26-Hartford 748, 27-Sacred Heart 754, 28-Wagner 770, 29-New Hampshire 778, 30-Manhattan 788, 31-Niagara 832, 32-Hofstra 873, 33-Fairfield 941, 34-Quinnipiac 1032, 35-Siena 1046
Marist finishers
10,000 meters
30. Matt Flint 30:52.7
38. Will Griffin 31:04.9
61. Arquimedes DelaCruz 31:29.5
72. Ken Walshak 31:42.8
87. Nick Webster 31:56.6
128. Tim Keegan 32:38.3
DNF – Adam Vess
Women’s team standings
1-Syracuse 78, 2-Stony Brook 83, 3-Providence 87, 4-Boston College 92, 5-Columbia 206, 6-Cornell 209, 7-Brown 226, 8-Dartmouth 271, 9-New Hampshire 273, 10-Boston U 315, 11-Yale 323, 12-Iona 332, 13-Connecticut 353, 14-Harvard 389, 15-Colgate 394, 16-Maine 395, 17-Army 480, 18-Vermont 482, 19-U Mass 493, 20-Quinnipiac 536, 21-Holy Cross 613, 22-Rhode Island 700, 23-Marist 712, 24-Northeastern 729, 25-Binghamton 753, 26-Buffalo 754, 27-Central Connecticut 854, 28-St. John’s 860, 29-Fordham 870, 30-Sacred Heart 900, 31-Niagara 901, 32-Fairfield 923, 33-Manhattan 952, 34-Hofstra 1011, 35-Siena 1078
Marist finishers
6,000 meters
52-Kiersten Anderson 21:29.6
153-Briana Crowe 23:01.7
162-Katie Messina 23:08.2
176-Erin O’Reilly 23:18.4
177-Kathryn Sheehan 23:20.5
184-Jillian Corley 23:39.8
DNF – Julie Hudak
NCAA Regionals results
Below are regionals results from today, a freakishly beautiful day weather-wise. The men set a program-best by placing 10th overall with 288 points (in 2008, we were 10th with 294 points). The guys ran really well.
More commentary and notes from the weekend when I can, just wanted to get this out there in the blogosphere quickly ...
NCAA Northeast Regional
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Hammonasset State Park, Madison, CT
Men’s team standings:
1-Syracuse 56, 2-Iona 63, 3-Providence 113, 4-Dartmouth 138, 5-Columbia 146, 6-Cornell 232, 7-Boston U 239, 8-Brown 240, 9-U Mass 264, 10-Marist 288, 11-Yale 304, 12-Harvard 327, 13-U Albany 357, 14-Binghamton 397, 15-Northeastern 399, 16-Central Connecticut 403, 17-Buffalo 459, 18-Army 478, 19-Boston College 487, 20-Stony Brook 510, 21-Maine 596, 22-Fordham 617, 23-Vermont 649, 24-Connecticut 659, 25-Colgate 662, 26-Hartford 748, 27-Sacred Heart 754, 28-Wagner 770, 29-New Hampshire 778, 30-Manhattan 788, 31-Niagara 832, 32-Hofstra 873, 33-Fairfield 941, 34-Quinnipiac 1032, 35-Siena 1046
Marist finishers
10,000 meters
30. Matt Flint 30:52.7
38. Will Griffin 31:04.9
61. Arquimedes DelaCruz 31:29.5
72. Ken Walshak 31:42.8
87. Nick Webster 31:56.6
128. Tim Keegan 32:38.3
DNF – Adam Vess
Women’s team standings
1-Syracuse 78, 2-Stony Brook 83, 3-Providence 87, 4-Boston College 92, 5-Columbia 206, 6-Cornell 209, 7-Brown 226, 8-Dartmouth 271, 9-New Hampshire 273, 10-Boston U 315, 11-Yale 323, 12-Iona 332, 13-Connecticut 353, 14-Harvard 389, 15-Colgate 394, 16-Maine 395, 17-Army 480, 18-Vermont 482, 19-U Mass 493, 20-Quinnipiac 536, 21-Holy Cross 613, 22-Rhode Island 700, 23-Marist 712, 24-Northeastern 729, 25-Binghamton 753, 26-Buffalo 754, 27-Central Connecticut 854, 28-St. John’s 860, 29-Fordham 870, 30-Sacred Heart 900, 31-Niagara 901, 32-Fairfield 923, 33-Manhattan 952, 34-Hofstra 1011, 35-Siena 1078
Marist finishers
6,000 meters
52-Kiersten Anderson 21:29.6
153-Briana Crowe 23:01.7
162-Katie Messina 23:08.2
176-Erin O’Reilly 23:18.4
177-Kathryn Sheehan 23:20.5
184-Jillian Corley 23:39.8
DNF – Julie Hudak
More commentary and notes from the weekend when I can, just wanted to get this out there in the blogosphere quickly ...
NCAA Northeast Regional
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Hammonasset State Park, Madison, CT
Men’s team standings:
1-Syracuse 56, 2-Iona 63, 3-Providence 113, 4-Dartmouth 138, 5-Columbia 146, 6-Cornell 232, 7-Boston U 239, 8-Brown 240, 9-U Mass 264, 10-Marist 288, 11-Yale 304, 12-Harvard 327, 13-U Albany 357, 14-Binghamton 397, 15-Northeastern 399, 16-Central Connecticut 403, 17-Buffalo 459, 18-Army 478, 19-Boston College 487, 20-Stony Brook 510, 21-Maine 596, 22-Fordham 617, 23-Vermont 649, 24-Connecticut 659, 25-Colgate 662, 26-Hartford 748, 27-Sacred Heart 754, 28-Wagner 770, 29-New Hampshire 778, 30-Manhattan 788, 31-Niagara 832, 32-Hofstra 873, 33-Fairfield 941, 34-Quinnipiac 1032, 35-Siena 1046
Marist finishers
10,000 meters
30. Matt Flint 30:52.7
38. Will Griffin 31:04.9
61. Arquimedes DelaCruz 31:29.5
72. Ken Walshak 31:42.8
87. Nick Webster 31:56.6
128. Tim Keegan 32:38.3
DNF – Adam Vess
Women’s team standings
1-Syracuse 78, 2-Stony Brook 83, 3-Providence 87, 4-Boston College 92, 5-Columbia 206, 6-Cornell 209, 7-Brown 226, 8-Dartmouth 271, 9-New Hampshire 273, 10-Boston U 315, 11-Yale 323, 12-Iona 332, 13-Connecticut 353, 14-Harvard 389, 15-Colgate 394, 16-Maine 395, 17-Army 480, 18-Vermont 482, 19-U Mass 493, 20-Quinnipiac 536, 21-Holy Cross 613, 22-Rhode Island 700, 23-Marist 712, 24-Northeastern 729, 25-Binghamton 753, 26-Buffalo 754, 27-Central Connecticut 854, 28-St. John’s 860, 29-Fordham 870, 30-Sacred Heart 900, 31-Niagara 901, 32-Fairfield 923, 33-Manhattan 952, 34-Hofstra 1011, 35-Siena 1078
Marist finishers
6,000 meters
52-Kiersten Anderson 21:29.6
153-Briana Crowe 23:01.7
162-Katie Messina 23:08.2
176-Erin O’Reilly 23:18.4
177-Kathryn Sheehan 23:20.5
184-Jillian Corley 23:39.8
DNF – Julie Hudak
Bowdoin Park workout on Friday
Thanks to Head Coach For A Day Tommy Lipari for organizing this very fine report of Friday's workout for the men's XC runners who are training hard for next week's IC4A meet.
11/12/2010 Bowdoin Park
3x Back Hills 3x 1000's
Name 1000 #1 (Slow way) 1000 #2 1000 #3 (Slow Way)
Duggan 3:02 3:00 3:05
Nicoletti 3:11 3:06 3:06
Windisch 3:10 2:57 3:05
Salek 3:04 3:03 3:04
Scrudato 3:06 3:06 3:05
Moss 3:10 3:06 3:07
Schanz 3:13 3:08 3:09
Clausen 3:15 3:06 3:03
Meegan 3:11 3:06 3:05
Havard 3:10 3:08 3:07
Izzy 3:08 2:57 3:02
Brown 3:09 3:06 3:05
O'sullivan 3:13 3:09 3:08
Hild 3:14 3:11 3:14
Doug 3:12 3:10 3:09
Green 3:17 3:12 3:14
Deedy 3:13 3:10 3:14
Zak 3:14 3:12 3:16
Townsend DNF Leg Pain
Reynolds DNS Blood Test
Head Coach Thomas Lipari
Assistant Curtis Jensen
Assistant Andrew James
11/12/2010 Bowdoin Park
3x Back Hills 3x 1000's
Name 1000 #1 (Slow way) 1000 #2 1000 #3 (Slow Way)
Duggan 3:02 3:00 3:05
Nicoletti 3:11 3:06 3:06
Windisch 3:10 2:57 3:05
Salek 3:04 3:03 3:04
Scrudato 3:06 3:06 3:05
Moss 3:10 3:06 3:07
Schanz 3:13 3:08 3:09
Clausen 3:15 3:06 3:03
Meegan 3:11 3:06 3:05
Havard 3:10 3:08 3:07
Izzy 3:08 2:57 3:02
Brown 3:09 3:06 3:05
O'sullivan 3:13 3:09 3:08
Hild 3:14 3:11 3:14
Doug 3:12 3:10 3:09
Green 3:17 3:12 3:14
Deedy 3:13 3:10 3:14
Zak 3:14 3:12 3:16
Townsend DNF Leg Pain
Reynolds DNS Blood Test
Head Coach Thomas Lipari
Assistant Curtis Jensen
Assistant Andrew James
Dinner with a coach
Friday was a pretty hectic day of travel.
After a romper-room like ride with the team from Marist to the park, they ran the course. And then it was time to take them to our hotel, which was nowhere near the course. We hit New Haven at rush hour (swell). I dropped off the team and then had to head right back out into rush hour traffic for the mandatory coaches meeting.
After the meeting, I was sitting in my van, answering text messages before driving back to the hotel. Christian Morrison, the Sacred Heart coach, was in another van and saw what I was doing. He invited me to dinner. It dawned on me that I was starving.
Christian was my college roommate for 3 years at Marist. We see each other often at meets, but we are usually busy attending to our teams. We talk at meets, but it's usually in passing. It was great to catch up with him in a quiet setting, over some NE clam chowder.
By the time I got back to the hotel, it was pretty late and it had been a long day. But at least the weather for today's meet looks pretty nice.
After a romper-room like ride with the team from Marist to the park, they ran the course. And then it was time to take them to our hotel, which was nowhere near the course. We hit New Haven at rush hour (swell). I dropped off the team and then had to head right back out into rush hour traffic for the mandatory coaches meeting.
After the meeting, I was sitting in my van, answering text messages before driving back to the hotel. Christian Morrison, the Sacred Heart coach, was in another van and saw what I was doing. He invited me to dinner. It dawned on me that I was starving.
Christian was my college roommate for 3 years at Marist. We see each other often at meets, but we are usually busy attending to our teams. We talk at meets, but it's usually in passing. It was great to catch up with him in a quiet setting, over some NE clam chowder.
By the time I got back to the hotel, it was pretty late and it had been a long day. But at least the weather for today's meet looks pretty nice.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Regionals information
I will be leaving tomorrow midday for the NCAA Regional meet, which is on Saturday.
Many team members are planning on making the 2-plus hour journey from Poughkeepsie to Madison, CT, to watch the races on Saturday. For those keeping score at home ...
--Women's race is at noon
--Men's race is at 1:15 p.m.
--For GPS, Mapquest or other unreliable navigation devices, the address for the meet is as follows:
Hammonassett State Park
1288 Boston Post Road
Madison, CT 06443
IC4A/ECAC athletes that are not racing at Regionals will be doing a workout tomorrow. Coach Chuck will touch base with the women before he leaves for CT in the afternoon.
The men have their workout (I handed it out today), which will be at Bowdoin Park. Tommy Lipari will be Acting Coach for the day. I trust Tom will do a great job in my role. Memo to Tom: Driving slowly, drinking coffee and complaining about the cold and the wind are optional.
See you all soon.
Many team members are planning on making the 2-plus hour journey from Poughkeepsie to Madison, CT, to watch the races on Saturday. For those keeping score at home ...
--Women's race is at noon
--Men's race is at 1:15 p.m.
--For GPS, Mapquest or other unreliable navigation devices, the address for the meet is as follows:
Hammonassett State Park
1288 Boston Post Road
Madison, CT 06443
IC4A/ECAC athletes that are not racing at Regionals will be doing a workout tomorrow. Coach Chuck will touch base with the women before he leaves for CT in the afternoon.
The men have their workout (I handed it out today), which will be at Bowdoin Park. Tommy Lipari will be Acting Coach for the day. I trust Tom will do a great job in my role. Memo to Tom: Driving slowly, drinking coffee and complaining about the cold and the wind are optional.
See you all soon.
Ice cream social
Will "Shaker Forever" Schanz hosted a Gartland Ice Cream Social this evening at his fine E-5 house on the north end of campus. Schanz, a Gartland RA extraordinaire, gave me and my kids a special invitation because he "needed to get a faculty member" to attend to his sugary shindig.
What a hoot! Last year, when I "just" taught the fancy 2-credit Track and Field Coaching science elective, I did not "qualify" as a "faculty member." But, now that I teach the upper-level "Sports Reporting" course, I "count" as a "faculty member." Whatever. Spare me the details. If there is free food, chances are I'll find my way there, one way or another.
Schanz did not come through on my request for Chocolate Cream Pie, but I must admit I was impressed by his fine gathering. He was nice enough to save some ice cream for my three kids, and even got sugar cookies and apple pie for my chocolate-challenged oldest son (a rare 11-year-old who foregoes ice cream and chocolate).
My youngest son was uncharacteristically shy at first. But then when Curtis showed up, and I told him that Curt lived with Conor, he emerged from his coccoon and started rough-housing with Curtis -- who he somehow equated as "Conor's brother."
Thanks for sugaring up my kids before bedtime, Schanz. A nice parting shot!
What a hoot! Last year, when I "just" taught the fancy 2-credit Track and Field Coaching science elective, I did not "qualify" as a "faculty member." But, now that I teach the upper-level "Sports Reporting" course, I "count" as a "faculty member." Whatever. Spare me the details. If there is free food, chances are I'll find my way there, one way or another.
Schanz did not come through on my request for Chocolate Cream Pie, but I must admit I was impressed by his fine gathering. He was nice enough to save some ice cream for my three kids, and even got sugar cookies and apple pie for my chocolate-challenged oldest son (a rare 11-year-old who foregoes ice cream and chocolate).
My youngest son was uncharacteristically shy at first. But then when Curtis showed up, and I told him that Curt lived with Conor, he emerged from his coccoon and started rough-housing with Curtis -- who he somehow equated as "Conor's brother."
Thanks for sugaring up my kids before bedtime, Schanz. A nice parting shot!
Remembering Hodge
I can hear his gravelly, New Jersey-accented voice in my head, as if it were yesterday: “Pee-da! How are the Running Red Foxes doin’?”
The passionate, in-your-face coach, almost always wearing a shirt-and-tie in the Armory, is someone that Phil and I knew well from his Robert Morris days and then more recently and more memorably during his days as Rider’s head coach.
When he was at Robert Morris, Bill Hodge was an amazing coach and a bit abrasive at the same time. When he moved to Rider at about the same time we joined the MAAC, Hodge was still quite amazing – his teams always seemed to peak for the MAAC Championship meets in all seasons – but we began to see a softer, more human side to him. Through the years we always respected Hodge; at Rider, we grew to really like him to the point where he was a true friend in the coaching ranks.
The news came to me this week that Bill Hodge, now at Belmont Abbey in North Carolina, died suddenly of a heart attack while coaching his teams at their conference championships. He was just a week or so shy of his 60th birthday, and he leaves behind a wife and 4 kids. Of course, this is sad, sad news.
It hits home in this regard, too: As coaches, we spend so much time away from home. We are with our teams on the endless days and nights, and that forges a closeness. But we are also with our fellow coaches, many of whom we see week after week, year after year, at these meets. In season, it is not a stretch to think that we spend as much time in the presence of our teams and other teams and coaches, as we do with our own families. So you cannot help but build connections with these people.
Hodge left Rider a few years ago. As I said, we became fond of him in a way that was not the case in the mid-1990s, when the thought of getting on a Northeast Conference coaches conference call was not pleasant at all. Hodge had had some health issues toward the end of his tenure at Rider, but we had heard that he was doing well down South – first at Mount Olive and now at Belmont Abbey.
In many ways, Hodge (and he was one of those guys you always referred to by his last name, for some reason) reminded me of Steve Lurie, my eccentric old college coach. He was a coaching lifer, fully dedicated to his teams, bopping from one school to the next, achieving success at every stop.
What I’ll remember about Hodge was that he was an intense coach. He was passionate, with a capital P. He parlayed that intensity to the teams he coached. They were ALWAYS ready for Conference Championship meets. Always. The collegiate track coaching ranks lost a good coach, and a good man.
The passionate, in-your-face coach, almost always wearing a shirt-and-tie in the Armory, is someone that Phil and I knew well from his Robert Morris days and then more recently and more memorably during his days as Rider’s head coach.
When he was at Robert Morris, Bill Hodge was an amazing coach and a bit abrasive at the same time. When he moved to Rider at about the same time we joined the MAAC, Hodge was still quite amazing – his teams always seemed to peak for the MAAC Championship meets in all seasons – but we began to see a softer, more human side to him. Through the years we always respected Hodge; at Rider, we grew to really like him to the point where he was a true friend in the coaching ranks.
The news came to me this week that Bill Hodge, now at Belmont Abbey in North Carolina, died suddenly of a heart attack while coaching his teams at their conference championships. He was just a week or so shy of his 60th birthday, and he leaves behind a wife and 4 kids. Of course, this is sad, sad news.
It hits home in this regard, too: As coaches, we spend so much time away from home. We are with our teams on the endless days and nights, and that forges a closeness. But we are also with our fellow coaches, many of whom we see week after week, year after year, at these meets. In season, it is not a stretch to think that we spend as much time in the presence of our teams and other teams and coaches, as we do with our own families. So you cannot help but build connections with these people.
Hodge left Rider a few years ago. As I said, we became fond of him in a way that was not the case in the mid-1990s, when the thought of getting on a Northeast Conference coaches conference call was not pleasant at all. Hodge had had some health issues toward the end of his tenure at Rider, but we had heard that he was doing well down South – first at Mount Olive and now at Belmont Abbey.
In many ways, Hodge (and he was one of those guys you always referred to by his last name, for some reason) reminded me of Steve Lurie, my eccentric old college coach. He was a coaching lifer, fully dedicated to his teams, bopping from one school to the next, achieving success at every stop.
What I’ll remember about Hodge was that he was an intense coach. He was passionate, with a capital P. He parlayed that intensity to the teams he coached. They were ALWAYS ready for Conference Championship meets. Always. The collegiate track coaching ranks lost a good coach, and a good man.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Flu shots for athletes
Hello all:
Please share this information with the entire team -- including athletes that don't normally read this fancy blog:
The athletic department will sponsor a flu shot clinic for student-athletes only on Wednesday, November 17 from 11:00 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. in the dance studio (McCann Center). Athletes DO NOT need to pre-register and do not have to pay anything out of pocket. However, they must complete a form upon their arrival requiring a signature only.
I received this information above in an e-mail message today.
Hope this helps.
Please share this information with the entire team -- including athletes that don't normally read this fancy blog:
The athletic department will sponsor a flu shot clinic for student-athletes only on Wednesday, November 17 from 11:00 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. in the dance studio (McCann Center). Athletes DO NOT need to pre-register and do not have to pay anything out of pocket. However, they must complete a form upon their arrival requiring a signature only.
I received this information above in an e-mail message today.
Hope this helps.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Girma 25th at NYC
Marist alum Girma Segni was 25th overall in Sunday's NYC Marathon, in his marathon debut. Girm ran 2:26:39. His first half was run in 1:10, so he struggled quite a bit over the last 13.1 miles.
Girm called me a few hours after his finish and he sounded great! He said the last 10 miles really trashed his legs. He said the biggest issue was that he was by himself -- no runners near him in front or in back. As a result, he was exposed to the strong crosswinds that are so common in NYC. Girm especially struggled on the bridges with the wind, he said.
Girma was running for West Side Runners, but (bless his heart) he was wearing his Marist Alumni Racing Team jersey. His high placement in such a high profile race does wonders for the Marist Alumni Racing Team in terms of exposure, and his loyalty to us is appreciated and never forgotten.
But it must be noted that this caps quite an excellent fall for men's Marist Alumni marathoners -- remember Mike Rolek's 2:23 at Steamtown and David Raucci's 2:24 at Atlantic City? GREAT STUFF!!! Rolek and I were surmising that maybe his great friend Girma would once again snatch away a Marist record from him, as Girma did in the spring of 2008 when Rolek owned the SR in the 10,000 (30:36) for a scant few weeks before Girma bettered it with a 30:22 (Girm eventually lowered that to 30:08 before graduating). Anyway, Mike, you've got the alumni marathon record for a little while now!
Marist Running and Rowing alum Lisa D'Aniello ran a strong negative-split effort in her first marathon. Lisa ran 3:39:03 (1:50:03/1:49:00). This was a Boston qualifier for Lisa. Lisa's race once again proves her amazing versatility as an athlete. She was a national-caliber rower, and then when she switched to track she ran SR times in the mile and was competitive at every distance she ran. And now, she can count herself among the ranks of marathon finishers.
Lisa wrote in a text afterwards: "Hardest thing I've ever done but it was incredible."
Great way to sum up the day.
Girm called me a few hours after his finish and he sounded great! He said the last 10 miles really trashed his legs. He said the biggest issue was that he was by himself -- no runners near him in front or in back. As a result, he was exposed to the strong crosswinds that are so common in NYC. Girm especially struggled on the bridges with the wind, he said.
Girma was running for West Side Runners, but (bless his heart) he was wearing his Marist Alumni Racing Team jersey. His high placement in such a high profile race does wonders for the Marist Alumni Racing Team in terms of exposure, and his loyalty to us is appreciated and never forgotten.
But it must be noted that this caps quite an excellent fall for men's Marist Alumni marathoners -- remember Mike Rolek's 2:23 at Steamtown and David Raucci's 2:24 at Atlantic City? GREAT STUFF!!! Rolek and I were surmising that maybe his great friend Girma would once again snatch away a Marist record from him, as Girma did in the spring of 2008 when Rolek owned the SR in the 10,000 (30:36) for a scant few weeks before Girma bettered it with a 30:22 (Girm eventually lowered that to 30:08 before graduating). Anyway, Mike, you've got the alumni marathon record for a little while now!
Marist Running and Rowing alum Lisa D'Aniello ran a strong negative-split effort in her first marathon. Lisa ran 3:39:03 (1:50:03/1:49:00). This was a Boston qualifier for Lisa. Lisa's race once again proves her amazing versatility as an athlete. She was a national-caliber rower, and then when she switched to track she ran SR times in the mile and was competitive at every distance she ran. And now, she can count herself among the ranks of marathon finishers.
Lisa wrote in a text afterwards: "Hardest thing I've ever done but it was incredible."
Great way to sum up the day.
Alumni coaching success on Friday
I was down at Bear Mountain on Friday to watch a little bit of the Section 9 State Qualifying meet. I had to leave earlier than I wanted to get back in time for practice.
But I was there long enough to see the stirring girls Class B race in which Marist Running Alum Mr. Bucket (some know him as “David Swift”) had his top girl runner finish in first place in an outstanding time. Mr. B has been coaching at Spackenkill for a long time now, and this had to be one of his all-time coaching highlights. It was a thrilling race and he was choked up with emotion, according to this excellent report in Dutchess County’s Finest Daily Newspaper.
It was a great day for Marist Running Alums who are now coaches, as several of our former guys saw their teams run to sectional titles and/or have state qualifiers, or simply fielded competitive teams. Along with Mr. Bucket, the following Marist Running Alums were proud coaches on Friday: Timmy Russo (Harborfields, Section 11); Pat Driscoll (Tappan Zee, Section 1); Joe Scelia (Brewster, Section 1); Matt Pool (Dover, Section 1); Jason Grady (Rhinebeck, Section 9). Jason’s good friend and friend of our program, Jeremy Perrotta (Onteora, Section 9), has also proven to be a successful high school coach.
Nicely done, men!
Programming note: The NYC Marathon starts soon, with a few Marist Alums set to tackle the five-borough course. Check back later or Monday for updates on how they did.
But I was there long enough to see the stirring girls Class B race in which Marist Running Alum Mr. Bucket (some know him as “David Swift”) had his top girl runner finish in first place in an outstanding time. Mr. B has been coaching at Spackenkill for a long time now, and this had to be one of his all-time coaching highlights. It was a thrilling race and he was choked up with emotion, according to this excellent report in Dutchess County’s Finest Daily Newspaper.
It was a great day for Marist Running Alums who are now coaches, as several of our former guys saw their teams run to sectional titles and/or have state qualifiers, or simply fielded competitive teams. Along with Mr. Bucket, the following Marist Running Alums were proud coaches on Friday: Timmy Russo (Harborfields, Section 11); Pat Driscoll (Tappan Zee, Section 1); Joe Scelia (Brewster, Section 1); Matt Pool (Dover, Section 1); Jason Grady (Rhinebeck, Section 9). Jason’s good friend and friend of our program, Jeremy Perrotta (Onteora, Section 9), has also proven to be a successful high school coach.
Nicely done, men!
Programming note: The NYC Marathon starts soon, with a few Marist Alums set to tackle the five-borough course. Check back later or Monday for updates on how they did.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Remembering Doc Goldman
This morning at the beautiful and historic Cornell Boathouse on the Marist Riverfront, I attended the Memorial Service for former Marist Athletic Director and Physical Education Department Chair Howard “Doc” Goldman, who passed away last week at the age of 79, after a 2.5-year battle with leukemia.
When I was a student at Marist in the mid-1980s (1982 to 1986, to be exact), I really only knew Doc as the guy who taught phys ed classes and as the men’s soccer coach. I never had him for class. When I started coaching back in 1991, I got to know Doc much better. By that point, he was an old but proud soccer coach. He struck me as a thoughtful, extremely intelligent man.
As Professor Emeritus Dr. Louis Zuccarello said today, “Howie” (that’s what he called him) was one of the “sequoias” and “pillars” of the “old Marist,” who are slowly but steadily succumbing to the relentless hands of time. Several of those Marist pioneers have left us lately – Brother Joe Belanger, Old Professors like Casey and LaPiedra and Dr. George Sommer, the old-school English guy whose rigid rules gave me a greater appreciation for correct grammar and spelling. (Yeah, yeah, I know: Read this blog enough, and I’m sure you could find things that old Dr. Sommer would cringe at. Such as ending a sentence with a preposition. Or writing in fragments. Yikes!)
Anyway, Doc Goldman was one of those Marist Pioneers. He hits a little closer to home, because he was the Godfather and architect of Marist Athletics. The McCann Center was built under his watch. Please note that the McCann Center fieldhouse DOES have a track around it. Sure, it’s a hideous, 160-meter layout … but it IS a track, and it DOES beat doing intervals in the parking lot, or running circles around Donnelly Hall (as Rich Stevens had his pre-McCann Center teams doing back in the day). And, you may not know this, but the first indoor state track championship for girls in New York was held at … the James J. McCann Recreation Center track. Amazing, huh? Thanks, Doc.
I also remember Doc telling me, more than once, that he had the blueprint plans for an outdoor track to circle his beloved patch of soccer pitch known as Leonidoff Field. It never happened, of course, but I always sensed it was not for a lack of trying from Doc Goldman.
Look, I know ours is a sport that always seems to get the short shrift from athletic administrators – in high school, in college, everywhere. We always tend to have a collective chip on our shoulders – even now, in the days of traveling to meets in coach busses and a lot more meal money than we used to get. Long-ago Marist Running alums may not have the fondest memories of Doc Goldman, Athletic Director. I know that former coach Rich Stevens always spoke to me of battles in terms of budgets and getting vans for travel and practice, etc. In short, the usual.
Here’s what I know: Under Doc Goldman’s watch, the program that I now direct was created. When I was a young and insecure coach back in the early 1990s, Doc Goldman took an interest in my program, and was always supportive and encouraging. In his retirement, Doc was always gracious to me, with a smile, a handshake, a genuine interest in our program, and usually an extended conversation about something or other when I ran into him in town while running errands and such.
At today’s Memorial Service, a lot of folks spoke. It was really cool to see former Marist basketball coach and athletic director Ron Petro, who came all the way from Oregon for the services. Several of Doc’s former players spoke. They talked of a hard-ass coach with a soft side. They talked of a coach who made a lasting impact in their lives. Like many of us, they talked about the most memorable 4 years of their lives, when they were on a collegiate sports team.
Marist Running alum Jim McCasland (Class of 1975) gave an impromptu speech after Mr. Petro opened the floor for anyone else to speak. It was great to see Jim, and it took a lot of guts for him to go up there and speak in front of a large group of people who had no idea who he was.
Kudos to my Marist classmate Valerie Hall of the Advancement Office for putting together this fine event so quickly, and current Marist AD (and my boss) Tim Murray and his staff for doing their usual professional job in hosting this meaningful event.
The boathouse was filled with Doc Goldman photos and memorabilia. There were nearly 30 team pictures from old soccer teams, which gave me an idea – maybe a decade too late, but what the heck. We need to start taking team pictures every year, and I need to begin collecting them. That way, God willing, when I am an old and proud coach like Doc, I can look back at all the teams I have coached and have a smile. As I’m sure old Doc Goldman had today from above, as he saw how many lives he touched over his four decades in Marist Athletics.
When I was a student at Marist in the mid-1980s (1982 to 1986, to be exact), I really only knew Doc as the guy who taught phys ed classes and as the men’s soccer coach. I never had him for class. When I started coaching back in 1991, I got to know Doc much better. By that point, he was an old but proud soccer coach. He struck me as a thoughtful, extremely intelligent man.
As Professor Emeritus Dr. Louis Zuccarello said today, “Howie” (that’s what he called him) was one of the “sequoias” and “pillars” of the “old Marist,” who are slowly but steadily succumbing to the relentless hands of time. Several of those Marist pioneers have left us lately – Brother Joe Belanger, Old Professors like Casey and LaPiedra and Dr. George Sommer, the old-school English guy whose rigid rules gave me a greater appreciation for correct grammar and spelling. (Yeah, yeah, I know: Read this blog enough, and I’m sure you could find things that old Dr. Sommer would cringe at. Such as ending a sentence with a preposition. Or writing in fragments. Yikes!)
Anyway, Doc Goldman was one of those Marist Pioneers. He hits a little closer to home, because he was the Godfather and architect of Marist Athletics. The McCann Center was built under his watch. Please note that the McCann Center fieldhouse DOES have a track around it. Sure, it’s a hideous, 160-meter layout … but it IS a track, and it DOES beat doing intervals in the parking lot, or running circles around Donnelly Hall (as Rich Stevens had his pre-McCann Center teams doing back in the day). And, you may not know this, but the first indoor state track championship for girls in New York was held at … the James J. McCann Recreation Center track. Amazing, huh? Thanks, Doc.
I also remember Doc telling me, more than once, that he had the blueprint plans for an outdoor track to circle his beloved patch of soccer pitch known as Leonidoff Field. It never happened, of course, but I always sensed it was not for a lack of trying from Doc Goldman.
Look, I know ours is a sport that always seems to get the short shrift from athletic administrators – in high school, in college, everywhere. We always tend to have a collective chip on our shoulders – even now, in the days of traveling to meets in coach busses and a lot more meal money than we used to get. Long-ago Marist Running alums may not have the fondest memories of Doc Goldman, Athletic Director. I know that former coach Rich Stevens always spoke to me of battles in terms of budgets and getting vans for travel and practice, etc. In short, the usual.
Here’s what I know: Under Doc Goldman’s watch, the program that I now direct was created. When I was a young and insecure coach back in the early 1990s, Doc Goldman took an interest in my program, and was always supportive and encouraging. In his retirement, Doc was always gracious to me, with a smile, a handshake, a genuine interest in our program, and usually an extended conversation about something or other when I ran into him in town while running errands and such.
At today’s Memorial Service, a lot of folks spoke. It was really cool to see former Marist basketball coach and athletic director Ron Petro, who came all the way from Oregon for the services. Several of Doc’s former players spoke. They talked of a hard-ass coach with a soft side. They talked of a coach who made a lasting impact in their lives. Like many of us, they talked about the most memorable 4 years of their lives, when they were on a collegiate sports team.
Marist Running alum Jim McCasland (Class of 1975) gave an impromptu speech after Mr. Petro opened the floor for anyone else to speak. It was great to see Jim, and it took a lot of guts for him to go up there and speak in front of a large group of people who had no idea who he was.
Kudos to my Marist classmate Valerie Hall of the Advancement Office for putting together this fine event so quickly, and current Marist AD (and my boss) Tim Murray and his staff for doing their usual professional job in hosting this meaningful event.
The boathouse was filled with Doc Goldman photos and memorabilia. There were nearly 30 team pictures from old soccer teams, which gave me an idea – maybe a decade too late, but what the heck. We need to start taking team pictures every year, and I need to begin collecting them. That way, God willing, when I am an old and proud coach like Doc, I can look back at all the teams I have coached and have a smile. As I’m sure old Doc Goldman had today from above, as he saw how many lives he touched over his four decades in Marist Athletics.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Back to Mills hills
Today's workout for the men took us back to Ogden Mills, where we do our traditional season-opening workout. It was an interesting juxtaposition, returning to the scene of our first practice after more than two months.
The first practice was damp and humid, a little chilly for late August, but it was still summer.
Today? The rain subsided, but it was still November, which meant several layers and a winter hat. For me, that is. The men powered up the hills nicely, in far fewer layers of clothing.
The women whipped through some threshold 1,000s at Bowdoin Park today, and by all accounts it went well. Only a few weeks left in the cross country season, with:
1. NCAA Regionals at Hammonasset on Saturday, Nov. 13.
2. IC4A/ECAC at Van Cortlandt Park on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Hope to see alumni, friends and family out in full force at either or both of these meets.
The first practice was damp and humid, a little chilly for late August, but it was still summer.
Today? The rain subsided, but it was still November, which meant several layers and a winter hat. For me, that is. The men powered up the hills nicely, in far fewer layers of clothing.
The women whipped through some threshold 1,000s at Bowdoin Park today, and by all accounts it went well. Only a few weeks left in the cross country season, with:
1. NCAA Regionals at Hammonasset on Saturday, Nov. 13.
2. IC4A/ECAC at Van Cortlandt Park on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Hope to see alumni, friends and family out in full force at either or both of these meets.
Coach Pete curriculum
As many of you know, for the past four fall semesters, I have taught a 2-credit science/phys ed elective entitled "Track and Field Coaching." Before all of you out in the blogosphere snicker at this "course," consider the following:
--All students must write 10 1-page papers reviewing in-class discussions.
--There are 15 in-class quizzes on the topics discussed.
--There is a 5-page midterm research paper.
--There is an extensive final project, in which each student must organize and map out a training plan for a segment of a track team for an entire season.
--Attendance is MANDATORY. Any unexcused absences result in a lowering of the final grade.
So yeah. It's not exactly Badminton or Lawn Darts. These students have to work.
But there is no reason that cannot include a little FUN at times as well. To wit:
On Thursday, our class topic was the triple jump. I asked each student to provide a link to a video of the event. With the field events, it's sometimes a lot easier to see what I'm talking about -- especially in events that I do not have strong area of expertise. Like the triple jump.
Class member (and team member) Zak Smetana sent the following link to Super Mario's excellent triple jump form. What a hoot, huh?
To Zak's credit, he also sent an actual human triple jumping to the World Record.
But I think the class enjoyed Mario a lot more.
--All students must write 10 1-page papers reviewing in-class discussions.
--There are 15 in-class quizzes on the topics discussed.
--There is a 5-page midterm research paper.
--There is an extensive final project, in which each student must organize and map out a training plan for a segment of a track team for an entire season.
--Attendance is MANDATORY. Any unexcused absences result in a lowering of the final grade.
So yeah. It's not exactly Badminton or Lawn Darts. These students have to work.
But there is no reason that cannot include a little FUN at times as well. To wit:
On Thursday, our class topic was the triple jump. I asked each student to provide a link to a video of the event. With the field events, it's sometimes a lot easier to see what I'm talking about -- especially in events that I do not have strong area of expertise. Like the triple jump.
Class member (and team member) Zak Smetana sent the following link to Super Mario's excellent triple jump form. What a hoot, huh?
To Zak's credit, he also sent an actual human triple jumping to the World Record.
But I think the class enjoyed Mario a lot more.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Academic achievement
I'm proud to report that the Marist men's and women's cross country teams led the MAAC with the most number of All-Academic selections with 32 athletes (17 women, 15 men).
For the complete press release on goredfoxes.com and a list of student-athletes who made the All-Academic, click this link.
For the complete press release on goredfoxes.com and a list of student-athletes who made the All-Academic, click this link.
Monday, November 1, 2010
MAAC XC men's results/comments
MAAC Championships
Friday, October 29, 2010
Hammonasset Beach State Park, Madison, CT
Men’s team standings:
1-Iona 18, 2-Marist 53, 3-Rider 115, 4-Fairfield 130, 5-Manhattan 144, 6-Loyola 160, 7-Canisius 175, 8-Niagara 183, 9-Siena 270, 10-St. Peter’s 282
Marist individual finishers
7-Matt Flint 24:50.5 (4:58 pace) *All-MAAC
8-Will Griffin 24:52.7 (4:58 pace) *All-MAAC
12-Arquimedes DelaCruz 25:13.3 (5:02 pace) *All-MAAC
16-Ken Walshak 25:17.2 (5:03 pace) *top freshman finisher
20-Nick Webster 25:47.1 (5:09 pace)
21-Tim Keegan 25:51.2 (5:10 pace)
31-Tommy Lipari 26:18.4 (5:15 pace)
32-Joel Moss 26:18.6 (5:15 pace)
36-Pat Duggan 26:23.7 (5:16 pace)
39-Sam McMullen 26:24.5 (5:16 pace)
43-Nick Hughes 26:32.4 (5:18 pace)
45-Ryan Scrudato 26:35.0 (5:19 pace)
46-Mike Nicoletti 26:35.5 (5:19 pace)
50-Billy Posch 26:42.0 (5:20 pace)
58-Brian Townsend 26:49.1 (5:21 pace)
63-Kevin O’Sullivan 26:56.5 (5:23 pace)
64-Nick Salek 26:56.8 (5:23 pace)
68-Michael Keegan 27:06.3 (5:25 pace)
73-Ryan Fitzsimons 27:15.1 (5:27 pace)
75-Chris Reynolds 27:20.0 (5:28 pace)
77-Pat Deedy 27:22.5 (5:28 pace)
82-Zak Smetana 27:27.8 (5:29 pace)
83-Isaiah Miller 27:29.9 (5:29 pace)
85-Will Schanz 27:33.4 (5:30 pace)
93-Kyle Havard 27:53.7 (5:34 pace)
97-Ben Windisch 28:01.9 (5:36 pace)
99-Danny Mendoza 28:04.2 (5:36 pace)
101-Billy Hild 28:05.4 (5:37 pace)
103-Matt Panebianco 28:06.2 (5:37 pace)
108-Doug Ainscow 28:17.4 (5:39 pace)
110-Mike Clausen 28:28.6 (5:41 pace)
111-Luke Shane 28:29.1 (5:41 pace)
118-Brendan Green 29:01.6 (5:48 pace)
General meet comments:
--On second thought ...: This is the sixth consecutive year the men’s team has placed runner-up to Iona. This is a big deal to us as a program. In each of those years, Iona has been nationally ranked. Several of those years, Iona has been a podium team at the NCAA Championships. So it is a point of pride to be “best of the rest” in the conference. It is as close to winning a conference meet as we get. This Iona team may be the best yet; they entered the weekend ranked fourth (4th!) nationally. That’s pretty darn good.
Finishing second for six consecutive years means this bridges several recruiting cycles and several incarnations of Running Red Foxes. Again, it means a lot to us as a program to have that sort of sustained consistency. What makes me proud is the legacy of leadership that has been passed down from each group of captains and upperclassmen. That legacy was evident in the runners-only meeting on Thursday night. So it’s all cool to me.
--All-MAAC attack: The Iona team went after it this year. It was their 20th consecutive MAAC title and on the same course as NCAA Regionals. So they did not hold anything back, grabbing 10 of the 15 all-MAAC spots. Of the other 5 remaining spots, 3 of them were Marist runners: Matt Flint, Will Griffin and Quimes DelaCruz. Freshman Kenny Walshak missed 15th place by a narrow two-tenths of a second, but he was first freshman across the line in a big PR time, so we are proud of Kenny!
--Where was Vess? Junior captain Adam Vess did not race because of some health-related issues that hopefully will be resolved by Regionals. When it was decided on Thursday afternoon that he would not be racing, I immediately went into paranoid mode, thinking it would have a negative impact on our team. Look, I have and had tons of faith in our team. But I was concerned about the unknown – namely, the Hammonasset course that I had never been to. I heard it was pancake flat and lightning fast. Courses like that tend to level the playing field, allowing teams that we would normally dominate on hill-type cross country courses a chance to close the gap on us. This happened to us in our first Disney trip in 2000. I know: That was 10 (!) years ago and a completely different team. But us coaches have loooooooong memories.
Again, deep down I had faith that there would be no issues. Indeed, if my math is correct, we could have voluntarily sat out our three all-MAAC performers along with Vess … and STILL have gotten second place. That is simply a testament to how well we ran as a team.
--Why Joel Moss matters. Sophomore Joel Moss is THE MAN. Joel was our eighth man and ran a monster PR of 26:18.6, an average of 5:15 per mile. Let’s put that in perspective. That same pace, times two, equals Joel’s high school PR (10:30) for the 3,200-meter run. Joel would have been a high varsity runner on every other team in the league except for Iona and Marist, and in many cases he would have been a dominant lead runner. Nicely done, BRO.
--Break out the Barbasol. The MAAC mustache tradition kind of evolved (devolved?) into some pretty hideous facial hair displays of solidarity on Friday. Thankfully, most men came to their senses and were clean shaven for Sunday’s weekly long run. Except for your gray-bearded coach, that is, but I do not count.
Note on the photos: Thanks to Frank Salek (Nick's dad) for the above photos. Actually, I think one of them was taken by Kathy Gould, but I cannot remember. Thanks to both for providing great images ... and great support, as always.
MAAC XC women's results/comments
MAAC Championships
Friday, October 29, 2010
Hammonasset Beach State Park, Madison, CT
Women’s team standings:
1-Iona 21, 2-Canisius 58, 3-Loyola 71, 4-Marist 106, 5-Fairfield 156, 6-Niagara 181, 7-Rider 185, 8-Manhattan 205, 9-St. Peter’s 259, 10-Siena 259
Marist individual finishers
5-Kiersten Anderson 21:43.5 (5:50 pace) *All-MAAC; top freshman finisher in meet
23-Briana Crowe 22:50.5 (6:08 pace)
27-Katie Messina 22:56.5 (6:09 pace)
29-Erin O’Reilly 23:00.4 (6:11 pace)
31-Kathryn Sheehan 23:03.8 (6:11 pace)
39-Jillian Corley 23:19.5 (6:16 pace)
49-Julie Hudak 23:36.5 (6:20 pace)
58-Allyson O’Brien 24:02.1 (6:27 pace)
60-Tara Nuccitelli 24:03.8 (6:27 pace)
62-Kara Lightowler 24:06.3 (6:28 pace)
66-Kelley Gould 24:15.8 (6:31 pace)
67-Kelley Hanifin 24:20.1 (6:32 pace)
70-Elizabeth O’Brien 24:26.1 (6:34 pace)
71-Dayna McLaughlin 24:30.8 (6:35 pace)
75-Kim Bartlett 24:44.2 (6:38 pace)
79-Becca Denise 24:50.2 (6:40 pace)
89-Miy Mahran 25:14.8 (6:47 pace)
91-Laura Lindsley 25:22.6 (6:49 pace)
96-Rachel Lichtenwalner 25:48.5 (6:56 pace)
98-Colleen Smith 25:52.3 (6:57 pace)
104-Natalie Rowland 26:21.0 (7:05 pace)
123-Erin Quadros 30:42.4 (8:15 pace)
General meet comments:
We are obviously not at full strength, nor have we been all season. I will not document that and look like I am trying to make excuses; that’s not our style, and I know our ladies would have little tolerance for it.
Again, I tend to defer to Coach Chuck to provide personal feedback and commentary to the ladies in person or in writing. But since this is my blog and I am the sole author, allow me to chime in with my three or four cents …
1-Freshman Kiersten Anderson ran a gutsy and fearless race up front. She went out with the big dogs right from the gun and hung in there. Like Kenny on the men’s side, she was the top freshman finisher in the meet, and that’s cool. She faded a bit at the end, and I know she wasn’t thrilled at that. But she did the job as our lead runner, and she did it with the toughness and class that we have come to expect of her in the short time she has been here. Nicely done!
2-I know Chuck was not pleased with the final team placement, and neither was I. But I will say this: Even at our current best, I’m not sure we could have hung with a Canisius team that was just downright impressive. They were ahead of us at Albany, but they were even better here at MAACs. And Loyola ran a strong race as well, probably their best team effort of the season. So it was as much (if not more) of a case of the teams in front of us snatching it as our ladies not getting it, if that makes any sense.
3-I’m personally proud of junior Kathryn Sheehan. She remains off her best, but she continues to plug away and give us her best effort. She had double compartment syndrome surgery in March and the recovery from that remains slow and steady. As a baseball guy, I would compare this to a pitcher recovering from Tommy John Surgery. It takes a long time to fully recover. But Kathryn gives us her best each and every practice and meet, and this meet was no exception. It is noticed, and it is appreciated.
4-Junior Briana Crowe continued her excellent season with her best race of the year, in my opinion. Nice job, BREE! Our other varsity ladies ran well but not well enough. I know they can do better; I know they were not pleased. But the great news is, we have more season left, so let’s get after it!
A note on the photos: Thanks to Kelley's mom, Kathy Gould, for sending them in. The last one is a little fuzzy, but it is Coach Chuck on his mountain bike, which he used to get all around the course. A great idea!
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