Jesse Aprile wins academic award

Congrats to recent graduate Jesse Aprile for being named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team. See the release on GoredFoxes.com here. Jesse graduates as the greatest short sprinter in history. Clearly, he got the job done in the classroom as well. We are very proud of Jesse, and we are glad we can continue to be proud of him and his accomplishments in his great four-year run here.

Brewing up some All-Americans across town

Belated congrats to our friends across town at Vassar College, where two D3 All-America athletes were crowned at the NCAA Championships last week. You can see coaches James McCowan (right) and Justin Harris (left) posing with junior Heather Ingraham (400 meters, top photo) and senior Aubree Piepmeier (5,000 meters). Heather and Aubree both set school records and earned All-America honors at nationals last week at Ohio Wesleyan University. Heather placed fourth in the 400 in 55.31 seconds. Aubree finished her collegiate career in style, placed fifth in the 5km in a school-record time of 16:41.93. We are happy for our friends and coaches James and Jut, and we are pleased for their athletes, with whom we were grateful to share the track all spring. Nicely done, Brewers!

Marist alums featured in Runner's World

Sorry for the delay in posting this link to an excellent (and LONG) article in the June 2014 issue of Runner's World about the burgeoning running scene out in Flagstaff. Among the runners featured in the article are Marist's own Adam Vess and Matt Walsh. Check it out here, and give yourself a good 15 minutes or more to get through it. It is a long article, but worth the time. Brew a pot of coffee and read it.

Commencement 2014: Deedy's big day

At Friday's baccalaureate ceremony at the chapel, we were proud to witness Pat "Diesel" Deedy accepting the first Glenn Marinelli Award for Excellence in Athletic Training. You can see Deedy accepting the award from President Murray above, and you can see the plaque here as well. The award is named in honor of Marist's longtime head athletic trainer, and a great friend of the program, who has been battling cancer for the past three years. Deedy worked very hard over the past four years, and he was always our go-to guy on injury treatment and prevention. And, while I busted his chops here and in person about his "lab rats" experiment this spring, it should be noted that his experiment yielded a Junior Nationals qualifier (Spencer Johnson) and several other PR times from the group. Nicely done, Diesel!

Commencement 2014: Farewell, again

 Here are some photos from graduation on Saturday. I wish I knew how to organize them better in a blog post, but you know ...

Commencement is always a bittersweet day for us here at Blog Central. Goodbyes are never easy, especially after you spend the better part of 4 years with the knuckleheads you see pictured here (a few were missing from photos). Speaking of knuckleheads, how about that "group selfie" of 92 Fairview on their way to Commencement. Classic. Anyway, we will miss the Class of 2014, as we miss them all, and we know they will be loyal alums. Hope to see them all at the Red Fox Trot 5k in September.

Workforce Team Challenge

Marist Running was well represented at the CDPHP Workforce Team Challenge last week in Albany. Nick Webster (top) showed off his fancy finishing kick in placing seventh overall in the 3.5-mile race in 18:23 (5:15 pace). Web, running for CDPHP according to the official results, outkicked his good buddy Josh Merlis of ARE Event Productions by three seconds.

Also, a pair of McCloskeys from two different eras were in the race. Chris McCloskey (see photo on the left) was rockin' the old-school Marist Alumni Racing Team singlet. "Chomps" -- running for the NYS Office of the Comptroller -- was 22nd overall in 19:20 (5:32 pace). Mike McCloskey, running for Albany Medical Center, finished in 31:34 (9:01 pace). Remember that Mike was a record-setting short sprinter during his time at Marist -- the 400 meters was equivalent to a marathon for Mike! -- so the 3.5-mile distance must have seemed like a trip around the globe for the younger McCloskey (no relation).

Nicely done to one and all, and sorry for the delay in posting this info as the race was a week ago.

Chillin' with Cuesta

I spent a very productive two hours this morning in our McCann Center office with Marist Running Alum Alex Cuesta, who has been helping out with our team on a voluntary basis since returning to the area a few months ago. We probably got more accomplished in two hours than has been accomplished in two years in my office. Recent team members will probably appreciate this; since the beloved couch was unceremoniously discarded, my office has basically reverted to a storage area. No work and no meetings occur there, as once was the case.

Cuesta and I are trying to remedy that chasm this summer, and it will be an ongoing process. The morning started out fantastically, as Cuesta brought me a large Stewart's coffee -- "I wasn't sure how you liked it, Coach, so it's black." ... PERFECT! Things can only proceed well after such a start. Cuesta has emerged as a loyal program alum, and we look forward to his continued affiliation with the newest generation of Running Red Foxes. Hopefully, we will have a great unveiling of the new and improved track office in McCann, later this summer.

Quimes wins race in Queens

Marist Running Alum Quimes DelaCruz continued his running comeback with a victory in the Forest Park 4-mile run in Queens on Sunday. Quimes ran 21:19 (5:20 average) and came across the finish line in first place by 14 seconds over the nearest competitor. You can see him raising his arms in victory with the Fox logo proudly on his back. He won $100 for his efforts. We look forward to his continued success on the roads.

Introducing Dr. Emerel

Congratulations to Marist Running Alum Alex Emerel, who recently graduated from podiatry school and is now officially a doctor. You can see a photo of Dr. Emerel with his family here. Alex will be doing residency for Podiatric Medicine and Surgery with concentration in Reconstructive Rearfoot and Ankle for three years in duration in Brooklyn. "Anyone on the team is welcome to ask me questions about the profession. I plan on coming down to Marist and giving a talk about Podiatry to the science majors this year,'' Alex wrote in his e-mail, which he signed as follows: Dr. Aleksandr Emerel. How cool is THAT?

ECAC Championships: Kristen Traub 7th in 3,000-meter run

ECAC Championships
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Princeton University
3,000-meter run
7. Kristen Traub 10:42.90 *ECAC All-East
73.4, 2:30.5 (77.1), 3:57.4 (81.9), 5:17.3 (84.9)
6:44.9 (87.6), 8:16.5 (91.6), 9:52.2 (95.7), 10:42.90 (50.90)

Sometimes, great athletes and great competitors have days they would just as soon forget. Today was such a day for Kristen. Don't let the All-East thing fool you; this was a tough race for Kristen. The numbers don't lie. She didn't want me to post these results, and we understand that. But we remain proud of all Kristen has done for our program in her two years here so far. She is a fierce competitor, a hard worker, and a valued leader on our team. We hope to never see her struggle in a race like this again. We maintain our supreme faith in Kristen, and we know she will put this one bad day behind her and bounce back stronger than ever.

ECAC Championships: Michelle Gaye 16th in 10,000-meter run

As you can see by this photo taken with Kathy Gaye's iPhone at Princeton on Friday night, it was a rainy night for the distance races at the ECAC Championships. Junior Michelle Gaye ran a gutsy and aggressive race, but her pace fell off during the final two miles or so. Despite this, she placed in the middle of the elite field, and she essentially matched her personal-best time, which was set at Bucknell a month ago. She was on major PR pace and near school record pace for the first half of the race and more. For someone who is new to the event, the race and the effort show great promise for the future. This race caps a wonderful outdoor track season for Michelle. Next up is Kristen Traub in the 3,000-meter run on Sunday afternoon at ECACs. Here are the numbers from tonight:

ECAC Championships

Friday, May 16, 2014

Princeton University

10,000-meter run

16. Michelle Gaye 36:47.71

86, 2:51 (85), 4:20 (89), 5:47 (87)

7:13 (87), 8:41 (88), 10:08 (87), 11:35 (87)

13:02 (87), 14:29 (87), 15:56 (87), 17:23 (87)

18:49 (86), 20:14 (85), 21:41 (87), 23:10 (89)

24:39 (89), 26:11 (92), 27:42 (91), 29:13 (91)

30:46 (93), 32:18 (92), 33:48 (90), 35:19 (91)

36:47.71 (88.71)

5km split: 18:07; second 5km: 18:40.71

1600-meter splits: 5:47, 5:48, 5:48, 5:47, 6:03, 6:06

Kristi Licursi: Walking into Marist track history

Thanks to very alert (and extremely loyal) blog follower Peter Van Aken for pointing out that I made reference to freshman Kristi Licursi and her qualification for USA Juniors in the 10,000-meter racewalk, but I did not provide any more details in that post from last week. Peter, being a huge fan of the sport on all levels, and a huge fan of under-appreciated track events such as the hammer throw (one of his specialties) and the racewalk, wanted more details on this. Here you go ...

First of all, in the interests of accuracy, the photo above (taken by Dan Asaro) is from Kristi at the Stony Brook "Wolfie" Invitational in the 1,500-meter run (not walk!) about a month ago. Anyway, Kristi qualified at the New Jersey Racewalk Series 5-kilometer event on May 3 in Whiting, N.J. Kristi racewalked 5,000 meters in 28:12, bettering the USA Junior standard of 28:30 for that distance, which qualifies her to racewalk at 10,000 meters out in Oregon on Saturday, July 5; we believe she is the first racewalker to represent Marist at the USA Juniors -- without question, she is the first female walker for us at the meet. Kristi won the race in New Jersey, which was held on a 1,250-meter loop.

For those keeping score at home, here are her splits: 6:48, 14:02 (7:14), 21:07 (7:05), 28:12 (7:05). Nicely done, Kristi!

Kristi came to us from Somers High School in Westchester County, where she was on the track team and did the racewalk in high school. Since racewalking is not a recognized event or sport in the college track ranks, Kristi is a good sport and trains for and races cross country and occasional track meets. We are proud of her racewalking exploits, skills and toughness, and we look forward to her competing out in Oregon with the red-and-white of Marist in the early summer.

A Boss photo from last night

Thanks to our good friend Alyssa Gates from the Center for Student-Athlete Enhancement for texting this photo of Marist Sprinting Royalty Colin (C-Fred) Frederickson, forever loyal in sporting his Marist Track and Field T-shirt at last night's Bruce Springsteen concert in Albany. Alyssa is a huge Bruce fan. C-Fred is a huge music fan, and we share many of the same tastes in music. Alyssa reported it was the usual amazing performance by The Boss, who seems to defy the aging process. Nicely done.

Record-setting afternoon at UAlbany: Alex Cunningham gets 110 hurdle record

Congratulations to sophomore Alex Cunningham, who became the first athlete in school history to eclipse the 15-second barrier in the 110-meter high hurdles, on Saturday at the UAlbany Last Chance meet. Alex placed second overall and ran 14.96 seconds, bettering the 2003 mark of 15.10 seconds, set by Marist Track Royalty Eli Bisnett-Cobb. Alex was a bit disappointed to have fallen short of the IC4A mark of 14.85 seconds in the event, but this was still a truly remarkable performance of which he should be extremely proud -- as we are. Nicely done, Alex!

Record-setting afternoon at UAlbany: Women's 4x100 relay

It was well worth the short trip up the Thruway on Saturday for the UAlbany Last Chance meet, as our women's 4x100 relay team of freshman Ashley Haynes, junior Danielle Asaro, senior Nicole Scicolone and freshman Molly Weeks shattered the 10-year-old school record with a first-place time of 48.97 seconds. This eclipses the previous record of 49.77 seconds. What a great way for Nicole to exit her collegiate career! We are very proud of her and her teammates, and we are extremely happy that she could go out on top with the record. Nicely done, ladies!

Commencement Marathon: Doug Ainscow, 2:49:34

Doug Ainscow strides to his personal finish line on Fairview Avenue

Graduating senior Doug Ainscow ran a marathon today in 2 hours, 49 minutes, 34 seconds. I have taken to calling it the “Commencement Marathon” because Doug will be graduating in two weeks, and, well, this run sort of “commences” his post-graduate running career. Does it “count?” By traditional standards, it does not. It was not a “race” in that it was a solo run – although in his defense, he has been talking about this for months and had several people (including me) interested in joining him. On a rainy and humid May morning, no one joined him. It was just Doug and 26.2 miles.

OK, let’s back up. Doug came up with the idea of capping his college career with a marathon. No one trains harder than Doug. He routinely logs 80-plus miles a week, and his weekend long runs were always the longest on the team – he would run the Culinary trails, up to Vanderbilt, and back, adding on sometimes to get to 2 hours or so. He’ll be the first to admit that he is not the most competitive guy on the team. Hey, the numbers are out there. You can see who Doug is and who Doug was, on the cross country courses and tracks over four years of seasons.

So anyway, back to this marathon idea. Along with all the hard running Doug has done, he also is an avid cyclist. He discovered, almost by accident, that riding his bike from his off-campus house at 92 Fairview Avenue to the end of the now-completed Dutchess Rail Trail in Hopewell Junction was exactly 13.1 miles. Hmmm. The wheels started turning. A marathon, 26.2 out-and-back miles, right from his front steps. The idea was on.

Again, when the rubber met the road, the only person to think this was a good enough idea to do it was, well, Doug. And so he decided today would be the day. Around 8 a.m., off he went. It should be noted, again for the record, that Doug ran a marathon today. Sure, the course was not USATF certified, but by all the traditional metrics modern runners use, by golly, he ran a marathon today:

--He measured it using a calibrated bicycle.

--He measured it using an online course tool, something like MapMyRun.com, but I’m not sure it was that one.

--He measured it using a GPS/Garmin-type watch.

All three came in at 26.2 miles. A marathon. From his house at Fairview, to Daddy O’s restaurant in Hopewell Junction end of the rail trail, and back. A marathon. And, let me tell you something: It was quite a debut marathon, a superb negative-split effort. Here are the stats, and Doug’s comments as well, and my comments too:

Total time of 2:49:34 - 6:28/mile
First half 1:27:22 - 6:40/mile
Second half - 1:22:12 - 6:16/mile
Mile splits:
7:01, 6:39, 6:36, 6:46, 6:41, 6:40, 6:43, 6:39, 6:38, 6:41, 6:36,  6:32, 6:33, 6:20, 6:35, 6:19, 6:12, 6:18, 6:08, 6:08, 6:06, 6:10,  6:17, 6:17, 6:28, 6:18, 1:14 last .2
Doug’s comments:

Felt like I was stuck in cruise control and felt absolutely effortless up to mile 20. At this point, I began to feel it in my legs. Every step of the last five miles was the most painful and uncomfortable stride I had taken since I began running 9 years ago. Miraculously, my pace didn't really suffer at all. Thanks for being there at the finish. I really appreciate it. Today's run is a source for a lot of confidence entering post-collegiate competition.

Coach Pete’s comments:

I love this. I absolutely, positively love this. It may be on the short list among my top highlights as a coach, and it basically entailed my showing up at his house a few minutes before he finished this run. This is one of those “if a tree falls in a forest … ” moments. Does it count if no one was there to witness it or record it? Well, I was, and this post acts as the official record of Doug’s race. That’s it. It is bittersweet that this run doesn’t “count” for anything – he can’t use it for a Boston Qualifier, it won’t appear anywhere in any official results, it’s not “out there” for anyone to see, except here.

But maybe, just maybe, that’s the allure of this all. In this world of high-tech gadgetry and life logging and Tweeting and all the like, how cool is it that a 22-year-old dude decided to run a marathon for himself and for no one else? He did not follow some fancy taper; in case you haven’t noticed, he has raced A LOT this outdoor season! He did not have aid stations, or any aid for that matter, other than a few of those gel block things that are like gummy bears, some of which he gobbled up around halfway. There were no bands out there on the course. There were no crowds. Other than close friends and maybe his family, no one knew he was doing it; and if they did, no one bothered to wake up or show up or acknowledge the run while he was doing it. That is not meant as a slight on anybody; it just adds to the legend of a low-key run for the sake of doing it for himself. He ran a strong, negative-split race, and certainly sets the stage for what could be an exciting post-collegiate running career.

Thank you, Doug, for all you have done for our program, and for providing us with a lasting coda to a great four years.

Alumni Racing Update: Becca Denise at LI Half Marathon

Congrats to Marist Running Alum Becca Denise, seen here still smiling early on in Sunday's Long Island Half Marathon. Becca had a strong debut, running 1:33:35 (7:27 pace) and placed third out of 225 in her age group. She is just getting started at the longer distances, and her future -- as well as many other young Marist women's running alums -- is bright in this sport. She ran the race with Manhattan College track alum Kevin D'Emic, who was a star middle distance man with the Jaspers. Nicely done, Becca!

Alumni Racing Update: Lindsay Moreau half marathon

Congrats to Marist Running Alum Lindsay Moreau for competing the Capital City Half Marathon in Columbus, Ohio, last weekend in 1:41:10, an average of 7:44 per mile. She placed 28th out of 916 runners in the 25-29 age group. Nicely done!

Senior Awards Banquet

Thanks to Natalie Salek for sharing this photo of the graduating senior XC men from Monday's Senior Awards Banquet.

Outdoor track: What's next, what's remaining

We have a few athletes competing on Saturday afternoon/evening at UAlbany at a Last Chance Invitational. Our women's 4x100 team of Ashley Haynes, Danielle Asaro, Nicole Scicolone and Molly Weeks is chasing the school record and they will get one more crack at it. On the men's side, hurdler Alex Cunningham is also chasing the school record, and freshmen Kyle Heubner and Nestor Taylor are aiming for 1:57.xx in the 800 meters.

Next week, we have two athletes qualified for the ECAC Championships: Michelle Gaye at 10,000 meters and Kristen Traub at 3,000 meters.

And lastly, we have USA Juniors in early July, where we have Spencer Johnson (10,000 meters) and Kristi Licursi (racewalk) who have earned berths at that championship.

MAAC Championships: Bell laps

Last night was the Senior Awards Banquet at Christo's in Poughkeepsie. It's a wonderful affair for our graduating seniors and for their families. It also signals, for me each year, the beginning of a procession of goodbyes that culminates with Commencement in a few weeks. As one parent aptly noted last night at Christo's, it can be challenging to deal with these emotions each and every year. We get quite attached to the young men and young women that inhabit our lives on a nearly daily basis for the better part of four years. And so, we started to say goodbye on Monday night.

An interesting subset of this goodbye equation consists of the athletes who stay on for a fifth year of competition, usually as graduate students who banked seasons with redshirts or medical hardships. We view these fifth-years as "bonus time," an extra special treat for us to have them around for another whole year. In many cases, especially recently, our fifth-years have made a lasting impact and impression on even the youngest members of the team, which continues to extend the bond and the web between generations of Running Red Foxes.

However, unlike traditional seniors, our fifth-years do not have the benefit of the procession of goodbyes. They had that last year. For them, the plug is pulled abruptly, and it usually happens at the end of the MAAC meet. Sometimes, this realization hits hard. For many of these athletes, the last meet culminates close to a decade of nonstop participation in the sport. Sure, running is a lifetime pursuit, and many of our alums continue to chase it after graduation. But they will never, ever, be a part of a track team like this again. It pains me to write these words, but it is part of the yearly cycle of the life of a track program.

This year, the MAAC meet was the end of the "bonus time" for Billy Posch and Jackie Gamboli. Posch ran the 5k at MAACs. Fittingly, Jackie closed out her career by anchoring the 4x400 relay, the last event on the track. With baton in hand, she got one final bell lap. No procession of goodbyes this year, my friends. It's over, and we will miss you guys on the bus and in the van, and every day, as much as you too will miss the journey.

MAAC Championships: Women's results/splits, Day 2

Here are the complete results from Sunday, with splits, and another wonderful photo of Danielle Asaro, this time finishing the 200-meter dash with a flourish.

MAAC Outdoor Track Championships

Day 2 results

Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Women’s results and splits

100-meter dash

5. Danielle Asaro 12.48 *school record, old record 12.59 by Dominique Pino, 1997

200-meter dash

8. Danielle Asaro 26.13

20. Ashley Haynes 28.51

24. Alexia Santiago 29.23

400-meter dash

17. Olivia Jaquith 1:03.06

800-meter run

19. Christine Coughlin 2:26.37 (first lap, 70)

27. Olivia Lappas 2:30.54 (first lap, 73)

30. Kim Schwarz 2:33.94 (first lap, 70)

35. Catherine Ferreri 2:40.70 (first lap, 76)

36. Jaime Durso 2:41.34 (first lap, 76)

37. Jackie Bunce 2:41.46 (first lap, 76)

39. Alli Dellicarri 2:46.68 (first lap, 78)

1,500-meter run

5. Kristen Traub 4:38.27

70, 2:24 (74), 3:41 (77), 4:38.27 (77.27)

7. Janelle Solviletti 4:43.38

74, 2:31 (77), 3:47 (76), 4:43.38 (74.38)

16. Nicki Nesi 4:52.36

75, 2:34 (79), 3:54 (80), 4:52.36 (78.36)

24. Marissa Porter 5:00.80

75, 2:34 (79), 3:57 (81), 5:00.80 (84.80)

29. Erin Thompson 5:05.52

74, 2:33 (79), 4:00 (87), 5:05.52 (88.52)

32. Bryn Gorberg 5:07.79

75, 2:36 (81), 4:03 (87), 5:07.79 (87.79)

40. Mariella Bilello 5:23.03

77, 2:44 (7), 4:17 (93), 5:23.03 (89.03)

5,000-meter run

3. Michelle Gaye 17:44.22

83, 2:55 (92), 4:18 (83), 5:42 (84)

7:06 (84), 8:31 (85), 9:56 (85), 11:21 (85)

12:47 (88), 14:11 (86), 15:36 (85), 17:00 (84)

17:44.22 (44.22)

1600-meter splits: 5:42, 5:39, 5:39

18. Brianne Vess 19:26.45

87, 2:57 (90), 4:28 (91), 5:38 (90)

7:29 (91), 9:03 (94), 10:38 (95), 12:16 (98)

13:54 (98), 15:31 (98), 17:09 (98), 18:44 (95)

19:26.45 (42.45)

1600-meter splits: 5:58, 6:18, 6:28

19. Annie Gould 19:26.46

87, 2:58 (91), 4:27 (89), 5:58 (91)

7:29 (91), 9:03 (94), 10:37 (94), 12:15 (98)

13:54 (99), 15:31 (98), 17:09 (98), 18:44 (95)

19:26.46 (42.46)

400-meter hurdles

13. Courtney Cartwright 1:08.90

14. Alex McCahill 1:09.16

16. Meaghan Gillespie 1:12.16

400-meter relay

5. Marist (Ashley Haynes, Danielle Asaro, Nicole Scicolone, Molly Weeks) 50.05

1,600-meter relay

6. Marist (Courtney Cartwright 64.5, Molly Weeks 60.3, Kristen Traub 61.8, Jackie Gamboli 60.8) 4:07.59