MAAC XC at Disney: Wrapping it up

 We arrived home late last night/early on Halloween morning after a long and enjoyable stay in Disney for our athletes. Obviously, we are down there to race a championship meet. But, it is Disney, and the experience of the weekend is one that they won’t soon forget. The Disney trip has never been a personal favorite, but again it makes great memories for our athletes. And that’s what and who it is about. As far as the actual championship races went, we discussed that in a quick post-race post back on Saturday afternoon – the men’s finish was fantastic, despite falling just shy of the coveted second-place finish to Iona; the women’s finish was less than expected, but certainly not due to lack of effort. The MAAC meet is a pressure cooker – unlike other sports that have “regular seasons,” we are judged on our conference standings based on one race. Fair or unfair, that’s the deal. At this time of year, in this sport, you are judged by how fast and how well you can get five runners to cross a finish line. Harsh assessment? Maybe. But, those are the parameters. We have two more championship meets. We will continue to grind it out every day in the hopes of posting championship level performances at the NCAA Regionals and at the ECAC/IC4As.

(Note: Thanks to Martha Weimann, Palmer's mom, for providing photos)

MAAC XC at Disney: Mass on the grass

One of the great highlights of the weekend was having our good friend, Father Richard LaMorte, with us at the MAAC Championships. Padre has retired from Marist, but he remains a friend to us and to our program. He was able to coordinate some family travel around our championships, and we were grateful to have him along for the ride. On Sunday morning, after the team’s long run and as we were preparing to check out, he offered to say a Mass for some of our athletes. We gathered on the lawn outside of our hotel rooms, sat on towels (the grass was still wet with morning dew) and Padre said Mass for us. Again, it was great having him with us for the weekend, and we are hopeful he will attend other meets in the coming seasons.

MAAC XC at Disney: Charismatic tube socks?

So the MAAC Cross Country meet was broadcast live on ESPN3. The day before, they did interviews with top runners from each team as well as some head coaches. One notorious MAAC head coach – the only MAAC coach to have been at all five of these Disney/MAAC Championships – was interviewed. That would be me. I joked with the fine ESPN folks that I had a “good face for radio” and that they should consider interviewing some other, more relevant people. So anyway, they went ahead and interviewed me. The usual questions. I gave the usual answers. Finally, the last question: “Coach. So. What’s the deal with the tube socks?” Really. Really?

Anyway, I just watched the broadcast of the men’s race last night; I will try to watch the women’s race later. They used exactly zero footage from that interview. That’s fine. It happens. I’m OK with that. However! During the live broadcast, the cameras spotted me out on the course. Exhorting my runners. Yeah. I was wearing my tube socks. The commentators made reference to them and referred to me as the “charismatic” coach at Marist. This, of course, is a broadcast first: The words “charismatic” and “tube socks” in the same segment. Nicely done!

MAAC XC at Disney: First place in the classroom

Once again, your Running (and Studying) Red Foxes led the way on the MAAC All-Academic Team, with 24 women and 20 men making the squad. Not all are pictured from last night's awards banquet, because we did not travel with the entire roster. We are proud of this accomplishment. Neat.

MAAC XC at Disney: Men's results

MAAC Cross Country Championships

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports

Lake Buena Vista, Florida

Men’s team standings

1-Iona 15, 2-Canisius 102, 3-Marist 104, 4-Manhattan 109, 5-Siena 141, 6-Monmouth 158, 7-Quinnipiac 175, 8-Rider 208, 9-Fairfield 223, 10-Niagara 308, 11-St. Peter’s 365

Men’s individual results, 8,000-meter course

11. Matt Baffuto 25:21.81 *All-MAAC
22. Dietrich Mosel 25:42.15
25. Spencer Johnson 25:46.47
27. Zachary Ropes 25:50.07 *All-Rookie
29. Riley Hughes 25:52.13
40. Steven Rizzo 26:06.20
44. Chris Rivas 26:08.36
45. Palmer Weimann 26:09.74
50. Stefan Morton 26:16.20
57. Matt Adolph 26:32.13
58. Joe Miller 26:32.92
64. Mike Kennedy 26:42.30
69. Saad Baig 26:53.19
80. Brian Edsall 27:12.83
83. Alex Hogue 27:16.60
84. Steve Morrison 27:18.80
102. Pat Hickey 28:08.66
137 finishers

MAAC XC at Disney: Women's results

MAAC Cross Country Championships

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports

Lake Buena Vista, Florida

Women’s team standings

1-Iona 49, 2. Quinnipiac 51, 3. Monmouth 97, 4. Canisius 122, 5. Manhattan 130, 6. Marist 140, 7. Siena 142, 8. Rider 214, 9. Fairfield 244, 10. Niagara 315, 11. St. Peter’s 354

Women’s individual results, 6,000-meter course

11. Mara Schiffhauer 22:04.92 *All-MAAC

24. Alexandra Bartolotta 22:43.15 *All-Rookie

31. Emily Burns 22:56.70

41. Denise Grohn 23:18.13

44. Mariah Christian 23:23.41

45. Christine Gambell 23:24.88

47. Elizabeth Wasserman 23:26.13

48. Jordan Casey 23:27.73

58. Roxy Novo 23:45.03

62. Bryn Gorberg 23:51.92

66. Shea Bohan 23:57.76

70. Brianne Vess 24:04.74

77. Jenna Robinson 24:13.17

84. Bianca Luparello 24:25.50

131 finishers

MAAC XC at Disney: Our MAAC Championship history

MAAC Championships history, men
1997: 6th place, 149 points (VCP)
1998: 2nd place, 70 points (VCP)
1999: 3rd place, 102 points (VCP)
2000: 4th place, 91 points (Disney)
2001: 3rd place, 69 points (VCP)
2002: 4th place, 91 points (VCP)
2003: 2nd place, 60 points (VCP)
2004: 3rd place, 77 points (Disney)
2005: 2nd place, 73 points (VCP)
2006: 2nd place, 52 points* (VCP)
2007: 2nd place, 61 points (VCP)
2008: 2nd place, 55 points (Disney)
2009: 2nd place, 57 points (VCP)
2010: 2nd place, 53 points (Hammonasset)
2011: 2nd place, 66 points (VCP)

2012: 2nd place, 80 points (Disney)

2013: 6th place, 151 points (VCP)

2014: 4th place, 113 points (Holmdel)

2015: 2nd place, 93 points (Rosedale/Rider)

2016: 3rd place, 104 points (Disney)

*lowest championship point total in school history
bold = best finish in team history

MAAC Championships history, women
1997: 4th place, 103 points (VCP)
1998: 1st place, 39 points* (VCP)
1999: 1st place (tie), 41 points (VCP)
2000: 1st place, 42 points (Disney)
2001: 3rd place, 93 points (VCP)
2002: 5th place, 114 points (VCP)
2003: 5th place (tie) 102 points (VCP)
2004: 1st place, 40 points (Disney)
2005: 3rd place, 83 points (VCP)
2006: 2nd place, 87 points (VCP)
2007: 4th place, 115 points (VCP)
2008: 3rd place, 78 points (Disney)
2009: 2nd place, 56 points (VCP)
2010: 4th place, 106 points (Hammonasset)
2011: 2nd place, 60 points (VCP)

2012: 2nd place, 65 points (Disney)

2013: 3rd place, 109 points (VCP)

2014: 3rd place, 93 points (Holmdel)

2015: 5th place, 122 points (Rosedale/Rider)

2016: 6th place, 140 points (Disney)
*lowest championship point total in school history
bold = best finish in team history

MAAC XC at Disney: "MAAColades"

Congratulations to Matt Baffuto and Mara Schiffhauer for garnering "All-MAAC" designation by being in the top-15 overall. This is the second year in a row for Mara; for Matt, he is our first top-15 finisher in four years -- since Quimes DelaCruz and Ken Walshak were able to do that. In addition! For the first time, the MAAC designated an "All-Rookie" team to the top five freshmen in each race. Zachary Ropes and Alexandra Bartolotta were able to run their way onto those teams. We are proud of them, and we are so happy they are running for us.

MAAC XC at Disney: Initial thoughts

Just getting back to the hotel room after a long and emotional morning at Disney's Wide World of Sports. Our men's team got 3rd out of 11 teams in the MAAC, an outstanding showing. We were two points shy of second place, which is excruciating. But we are so proud of the effort, top to bottom. Our women placed 6th out of 11 teams in the MAAC, in an extremely competitive race. The final placement is disappointing for us, but we are very proud of the effort. We had two all-MAAC (top 15) finishers -- Matt Baffuto and Mara Schiffhauer. Matt was the first all-MAAC runner in four years on the men's side. We had two all-rookie runners, the first year they awarded them to the top-5 freshmen -- Zachary Ropes and Ali Bartolotta. We are proud of them all. Results and more thoughts later.

MAAC XC at Disney: We're here!

After a long day of travel, we have arrived at the Coronado Springs Resort on the Disney campus in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. We're here. As advertised, the weather is pleasantly warm. There was nothing "pleasant" or "warm" weatherwise about our departure from McCann a little after 11 a.m. -- although the glad tidings (inspiring sign and snacks) from our "buddy team" (women's tennis) was very much appreciated. Alas, the trip went smoothly, as smoothly as a travel party of 35 can move along. So, we're here, and now it's time to get down to business. We will go over the XC course on Friday morning and get settled in, relaxed and ready to race on Saturday morning. Again. For those looking for instant updates, photos and other travel highlights from our trip, go to the Snapchat Takeover; the team's having fun with THAT. I'll keep plugging away here at Blog Central. OK!

MAAC XC at Disney: Here we go! Snow kidding!

Soon after I clicked "publish" on the earlier post, it started snowing here in the mid-Hudson Valley. Snowing. It's snowing. Last week, it was 85 degrees and I was wearing shorts. Now? It's snowing. And. It's sticking. Perhaps this is a precursor to what could be a long and cold winter. It's a "light La Nina" year, which us weather geeks know means persistent cold and possibly a lot of snow. But definitely cold. Did I mention it's snowing here? And so, after months and months of lamenting, "oh, this is a Disney year" and "ah, every four years we go to Disney for MAACs" ... allow me to amend this as my phone says the temperatures will be in the 80s when we land in Orlando later today. "This is a Disney year!" "Every four years we go to Disney for MAACs!" Yippee!

MAAC XC at Disney: Here we go

We depart today for the MAAC Cross Country Championships at Disney. Races are on Saturday: Men at 8 a.m. and women at 9 a.m. They will be broadcast live on ESPN3. The Disney experience happens once every four years. It started back in 2000. I believe I am the only MAAC coach who will have made this trip five times. Just means I have been around quite a while. For those so inclined, our athletes will be posting on social media via "Snapchat Takeover" of the Marist Athletics Snapchat. So, there's that. As much as I moan and groan about the Disney trip, it will be a great experience for our athletes and for that I look forward to it. Our main objective is to have our runners put forth a championship level performance. That's the goal, as we enter Championship Season. OK!

Cuesta's wedding

Been meaning to post this photo for several days now, from Cuesta's wedding last Friday night in Middletown. Cuesta got married! He and Julie shared a nice ceremony outside (they really lucked out as the rain earlier in the day passed and it was a nice night) and then we went inside for the "Cuesta Fiesta," which was a fun time. The picture you see above are from real life "wedding crashers" -- Cuesta's loyal athletes from the sprint team. From left: Capt Tim Johnson, Josh Hindle, Josh Siegel (all of whom tried to hoist Cuesta on the dance floor), Anthony Colasanto and Capt Nate Lungarini. The old coach and the young coach flank the photo. Cuesta was a loyal member of our team, he is a loyal alum, and he was a loyal assistant coach for the past few years until stepping aside to do grown-up things like getting married and switching to more married-friendly work hours, which conflicts with coaching. And these guys loved him. And the feeling was mutual. They were respectful wedding crashers, staying only for about 15 minutes, exchanging hugs with Cuesta and clearly making an already memorable night even better. Nicely done!

Pep in your step: Check it out!

Marist Running Alum (Class of 2016) Lizzy Peper has started her own blog called Pep in Your Step. Very proud of her on many levels -- first and foremost, that she would use a PUN for the title of her blog! Nicely done! Perhaps four years of my groan-worthy, head-shaking puns had an impact? Anyway! Although it's a relatively new blog, Lizzy's posts are already fun to read, well-written and targeting a wide audience. And oh yeah: After a bout with mono this summer, her running seems to have rebounded quite nicely based on her most recent post. Check it out at pepinurstep.com. Neat!

Marcus King Band. Remember the name.

This is not a music blog, but please allow me a post about a new recording (I’d call it an “album,” but that would really date me) about which I am plenty excited. Excited. As in, listening to it over and over again in my car. It’s a self-titled release by the Marcus King Band. Remember that name. Marcus King is very young, 20 or 21 years old, but he has the musicianship of someone twice his age. This recording (purchased inexpensively on iTunes) features more than a dozen tracks with a wide range of styles. It’s never great to “compare” but for the purposes of introduction, think about the intersection of ZZ Top (hard-driving, guitar-based rock), Tower of Power or old-school Chicago (killer horn section!), Marshall Tucker Band (country-inspired southern rock with pedal steel guitar) and John Scofield (jazzy but incredible instrumental guitar). Put it all together, with my personal favorite Warren Haynes producing, and you’ve got quite a record.

Marcus King is the undisputed leader of this band, but he is not a one-trick pony. This isn’t just some blues band. It’s a BAND. Keyboards. Horns. Very proficient drums and bass. With this incredible kid leading them all. I was able to witness this first-hand this summer (see photo), at Daryl’s House Club in Pawling. At my age, this was nearly a perfect concert experience; I went with my early-morning jogging buddy The Mayor. Inexpensive ($15 tix!), small club (our seats were literally a foot from the stage), early start time (promptly at 7 p.m.), great music and a tight, 90-minute set. We drove home in waning daylight and it was not even close to a late night – we actually arrived home before the rest of the family, who were at a swim meet. Wonderful. Most summer concerts don’t even START by the time we got home, and it was more than its money’s worth. This kid can shred, and the overall sound is something that a lot of people will like. A lot. Remember the name. Kid’s got a future.

Summing up the weekend

A few random notes from the weekend:

1. We have been blessed with pretty good weather this entire XC season. Sure, it was a little wet at Paul Short -- but it's ALWAYS a little wet (or a lot) at Paul Short.
2. All other meets have featured near perfect conditions. It was a bit breezy at Albany yesterday -- but it's ALWAYS a bit breezy (or more than a bit) at Albany.
3. Speaking of "always" and "Albany" ... As a coach and an athlete, UAlbany has been a home away from home for me for more than 30 years. Going to Albany for meet is almost like a home meet. Other than West Point, there is no other "away" meet venue as close. We are very friendly with the coaching staff at Albany, and it's nice that they recognize our longstanding commitment to their home meets. Head coach Roberto Vives gave us a shout-out as he was announcing the meet over the PA on Saturday. It was their 50th annual XC invitational, and I would venture to guess that I have been there as an athlete or coach for at least 30 of them. Neat. Not to mention many track meets over the years, especially the early years of our coaching career.
4. Our results at Princeton compare favorably to the past several years. Without boring you with numbers, on the women's side if we were to have a 2014 Marist team vs. 2016 Marist team dual meet, our 2016 lead runner time beats our 2014 lead runner time. And, our 2016 team puts five runners in front of our 2014 team's #2 runner. And that 2014 team was pretty good. And that's pretty neat. Similarly, on the men's side, 2016 team puts five in front of 2014 #2. Pretty much the same deal.
5. Our men at Albany ran well when you consider that 11 of our best runners were 190 miles to the south. Our top-5 average was 26:12.4. Some years and some meets, that's our TEAM. Now, it's just a part of our team. And the majority of our Albany racers were young and returning athletes. So! This bodes well for the future.

So ... what's next as we head into Championship Season? A trip to Disney for the MAAC Championships. It's always a mixed feeling going down to see Mickey Mouse -- memorable and fun for our athletes but a bummer that we cannot travel with our entire squad.

After MAACs, we wrap up our championship season with two Van Cortlandt Park meets -- NCAA Regionals and IC4A/ECAC in November.

In the meantime? We get to enjoy a taste of some Indian Summer this week as daytime highs are going to push 80 degrees a few days. OK!

Princeton XC: Women's results

Princeton XC Invitational

West Windsor Fields

Princeton, NJ

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Women’s team standings

1-Iona 91, 2. Columbia 94, 3. Maryland 111, 4. Stony Brook 121, 5. Penn 133, 6. George Washington 188, 7. UMBC 205, 8. Monmouth 235, 9. Marist 242, 10. St. Joseph’s 272, 11. Princeton 280, 12. Sacred Heart 314, 13. American 361, 14. McNeese State 382, 15. La Salle 405, 16. UNC Greensboro 418, 17. Loyola 438, 18. Rider 457, 19. Maryland Eastern Shore 541, 20. Hofstra 549, 21. NJIT 656, 22. Cabrini 720

Women’s individual results, 6km

25. Mara Schiffhauer 22:05.6

42. Ali Bartolotta 22:27.4

52. Emily Burns 22:36.8

63. Elizabeth Wasserman 22:44.3

68. Shea Bohan 22:53.3

86. Christine Gambell 23:09.7

112. Denise Grohn 23:33.0

116. Jenna Robinson 23:33.8

129. Mariah Christian 23:45.8

130. Jordan Casey 23:46.1

141. Bryn Gorberg 23:58.7

150. Roxy Novo 24:08.5

215 finishers

Princeton XC: Men's results

Princeton XC Invitational

West Windsor Fields

Princeton, NJ

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Men’s team standings

1-Columbia 68, 2. Yale 104, 3. Penn 107, 4. Stony Brook 117, 5. La Salle 125, 6. Rutgers 188, 7. St. Joseph’s 194, 8. McNeese State 239, 9. Marist 295, 10. George Washington 300, 11. UMBC 345, 12. Maryland Eastern Shore 347, 13. Sacred Heart 357, 14. Monmouth 361, 15. American 373, 16. Rider 401, 17. Iona 482, 18. Harvard 491, 19. UNC Greensboro 509, 20. Loyola 621, 21. Hofstra 634, 22. NJIT 671, 23. Cabrini 748, 24. Princeton incomplete

Men’s individual results, 8km

41. Matt Baffuto 24:57.9

58. Saad Baig 25:08.8

72. Stefan Morton 25:15.0

75. Steven Rizzo 25:15.7

77. Dietrich Mosel 25:18.2

90. Palmer Weimann 25:27.8

94. Spencer Johnson 25:33.1

98. Riley Hughes 25:35.5

114. Steven Morrison 25:47.0

117. Joe Miller 25:48.6

124. Mike Kennedy 25:53.6

226 finishers

Albany XC: Men's results

UAlbany 50^th annual Invitational

Saturday, October 15, 2016

University at Albany

Men’s team standings

1-Albany 18, 2. Manhattan 55, 3. Siena 59, 4. Marist 119, 5. Binghamton 119, 6. Colgate 168, 7. Monroe 208, 8. Albany Pharmacy 259, 9. LIU Post incomplete

Men’s individual results, 8km

9. Alex Hogue 25:34.8

25. Brian Edsall 26:16.8

26. Chris Rivas 26:18.5

28. Zach Ropes 26:23.0

32. Matt Adolph 26:28.6

34. Pat Hickey 26:40.8

37. Connor Levins 26:48.6

42. Elias Platanias 26:56.0

43. Conor Stack 26:59.3

50. Will Duggan 27:24.6

51. Dom Fortino 27:26.3

55. Eamonn Beers 27:37.9

60. Will Esposito 27:57.6

68. Eddie White 28:40.5

69. Dan Hillman 28:48.1

73. Jake Hensler 29:21.8

90 finishers

Albany XC: Women's results

UAlbany 50^th annual Invitational

Saturday, October 15, 2016

University at Albany

Women’s team standings

1-Albany 62, 2. Siena 65, 3. Manhattan 77, 4. Binghamton 87, 5. Colgate 151, 6. Monroe 165, 7. LIU Post 189, 8. Marist 193, 9. Albany Pharmacy 249

Women’s 5km individual results

36. Brianne Vess 19:19.6

37. Alyssa Hurlbut 19:19.9

43. Janelle Solviletti 19:32.7

46. Boushra Belkhir 19:39.1

49. Hannah Albert 19:50.3

55. Alyssa LaFave 20:10.6

57. Olivia Lappas 20:12.3

61. Emily Franko 20:46.0

64. Jackie Bunce 20:58.2

66. Shannon Gildea 21:18.6

72. Taylor Mueller 21:35.1

73. Kristi Licursi 21:38.5

88. Katie Miale 23:25.0

91 finishers

Albany XC: Open race results

UAlbany 50^th annual Invitational

Saturday, October 15, 2016

University at Albany

Jason DeJoy Memorial/The Fifth Man Open Race

5-kilometer individual results

2. Sami Ellougani 16:41

3. Brian Henderson 16:42

4. Drew Burns 16:43

8. Tanner Senius 17:39

11. Nicki Nesi (unattached) 18:51

15. Annie Gould (unattached) 19:27

Split personality

Very difficult having the team in two different venues on the same day. As we were arriving at UAlbany, getting settled, setting up the tent and picking up packets, the phone was blowing up with calls and texts from Princeton, where the team ran well. Wish I were there. But alas ... can only be in one place at a time. A good day for cross country. In New Jersey and New York. Results to follow ...

What's next: Split squad

This weekend, we are splitting the cross country team between two invitationals -- Princeton and Albany. The meets will be on the same day -- Saturday. Here is information on both meets.

Princeton Invitational, West Windsor Fields, Princeton, NJ

Women's 6km: 9 a.m.

Men's 8km: 9:45 a.m.

Teams expected to race: American, Binghamton, Columbia, George Washington, Harvard, Hofstra, Iona, LaSalle, Loyola (MD), Marist, Maryland, Maryland Eastern Shore, McNeese State, Monmouth, NJIT, Penn, Princeton, Rider, Sacred Heart, St. Joe’s, Stony Brook, UMBC, UNCG

We will have 12 women and 11 men competing at this meet.

Albany Invitational, University at Albany

Men's and Women's Open race: 12 noon

Women's Championship 5km: 12:45 p.m.

Men's Championship 8km: 1:30 p.m.

Teams expected to race: Albany Pharmacy, Binghamton, Monroe, Albany, Colgate, CW Post, Marist, Siena, Manhattan

We will have approximately 20 men and 20 women competing at this meet in the various events.

We hope to see family and friends at either of these meets. OK!

Another sprinter goes the distance

Big shout-out to senior sprint team member Olivia Jaquith for completing the Army 10-miler on Sunday in Washington, D.C., in a very respectable time of 1:17:27 (7:45 per mile average). It was a family affair for Olivia, who described it this way via email: “My mother ran this race for the first time 10 years ago to ring in her 40th birthday.  I convinced her to run it with me this year, as she turns 50 on the 16th.  My older brother, who works at the Pentagon, ran it with us, as well.  His wife was supposed to join us, but she announced last night that they are expecting their first child, so my younger sister, Isabelle, decided at the last minute to run in her stead.’’ Remember: Olivia’s primary event is 400 meters; the Army 10-miler is approximately 40 times that in length. Molly Weeks in the half marathon last week; Olivia in the 10-miler this week. Pretty cool stuff.

Alumni racing: Deedy sips success in Vermont

Marist Running Alum Pat Deedy had a productive day at the Harpoon Octoberfest 3.65-mile road race in Vermont. Deedy ran 20:33 for the unusual race distance. He was seventh overall, second in his age group, and earned a free 12-pack, mug and refills. I guess Deedy saved the carbo loading for AFTER the race. Or perhaps? He was drowning his sorrows as his beloved Red Sox are going down in flames in the American League Division Series to the Indians. Ha!

Alumni racing: Staten Island Half Marathon

Marist alums were well represented on a blustery and rainy day. Ryan Scrudato, running for Central Park Track Club, was first in his age group and 15^th overall in 1:12:23. Luke Shane, running proudly and always for the Marist Alumni Racing Team, notched a strong PR and was 39^th overall in 1:16:21.

Alumni racing: Chicago Marathon

Marist Running Alum Kara Lightowler had an eye-popping 3:06:56 performance out in Chicago, good for 159^th overall in the women’s race. Laura Furlong notched her second marathon finish in an impressive 4:05:01. Recent alums Mark Vuono and Ricky Willi battled through in 4:06:25, not bad for limited training due to new post-graduate jobs. Nicely done to one and all. 

VCP from a different lens

How many times have I been to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx? More than 100 times, easily, as a coach for the past 26 years and even as a collegiate runner back in the Dark Ages of the mid-1980s. But for all these times along Broadway in Riverdale, Saturday was the first time I was there as a parent, for the Manhattan Invitational high school meet -- watching the FDR Presidents cross country team, which features a gangly senior who happens to be my son. What a great experience for these Presidents, who have emerged as a strong team in Section 9 after years of mediocrity and irrelevance. Last year, they won their first-ever Mid-Hudson Athletic League (MHAL) cross country title in 2015, hopefully the first of many. Their young coach is fiery, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. He has made XC and track a cool thing to do at FDR, and the Presidents are pretty darn good. Of course, this is a biased opinion. You view things differently as a parent. But the trophies and banners are real, and naturally we are proud of this.

So yeah, it was weird being at Vanny alongside so many of my college coaching acquaintances, who were there recruiting. I suppose I should have been recruiting as well. I was wearing my Marist track hoodie, as usual. But really, my heart was not into recruiting. I was there to cheer on the green and gold of FDR. The boys did well but they were disappointed to not have done better. The 4km high school course at this meet can get clogged up quickly and early, and they weren’t accustomed to that. I’m sure they wish they could run the race over. My kid did fine; he’s the fifth or sixth man (depending on the day) on a pretty strong team. He had a nice finishing kick, passing about a dozen runners along that stretch of Broadway where I have lost my mind (and my voice) screaming at generations of Marist runners. He was bummed to have missed a medal by about two seconds, but so it goes. He and his buddies gathered for a pasta party the night before, they are gathering for a camp-out in the freezing fall darkness this coming weekend, they have run hundreds of miles together, and they are forming memories that will last a lifetime.

After the team’s race, I suppose I could have proceeded with some recruiting; there were several prospective student-athletes that I most certainly should have checked out in their respective races. I was worn out, mentally, cheering on the FDR boys. It almost felt weird and guilty to do my “job” when really my heart was more into being a neighbor and a parent. So I texted Chuck and said I was getting out of there. In a nostalgic mood, I drove over to East 239^th Street in the Bronx and passed by my grandmother’s house; she’s been gone for more than 30 years. I still remembered all the roads by heart, and the rattling sound of the elevated train on White Plains Road brought me back to my youth, visiting “Nonna Subway” for Sunday dinner every week. Then, I drove across the GW Bridge to New Jersey, to visit my mother, who is an old grandmother herself now. Time marches on. The more things change, the more they stay the same. A Saturday in the Bronx, at Vanny, same as it ever was, only now viewed from a different lens.

Every day is Flag Day

This is not a political post. Let’s start right there. This is a post about a new addition to our front yard, a flag pole, with an American flag atop it, proudly displayed and flapping in the early autumn breeze at 25 feet above our flower garden. Alert blog followers (and those who have known me for a while) know that I am a big fan of Flag Day, June 14. This is not due solely to some patriotic fervor but rather to fond memories of Flag Day in my youth, which usually coincided with Field Day at my elementary school. And plus, it’s June: The days are long, the weather’s great, baseball season’s in full swing, and an American flag sure looks nice in that late spring sun. It should be noted: My father, an immigrant, was a proud Korean War era veteran of the U.S. Army, and although he never openly pushed a flag-loving mentality on our family, his service and his actions led us to a certain level of respect for what the flag stood for to him and to others who served. Again. This isn’t a political post. I support the First Amendment and the right for people in this country to express themselves as they see fit.

This is about how we got a flag pole in our yard. Our oldest son Joey, now a high school senior, participated in an American Legion program called Boys State earlier this year. He was selected to participate and to represent his school. He came back a changed young man. Joey wants for nothing. Asking him what he would like for birthday or Christmas gifts is akin to rigorous cross-examination. Eh. Well. Not much really. Maybe a Five Guys gift card or something. This makes him a bit unusual for a teenager, I think. Anyway. He came back from Boys State with a very clear mandate. If you want to get me a birthday gift, he said, I’d like a flag pole for our yard. Whoa! OK then! Heidi has Amazon Prime. Purchasing things online is a dangerously simple one-click endeavor. The flag pole was ordered. It sat in two big boxes, ominously waiting to be put together, for weeks.

I’m not the most handy guy; in fact, I’m not good at that stuff at all – you know, putting things together, fixing things, etc. But one Sunday a few weeks ago, an impossibly beautiful day, we decided it was time to put up this flag pole. Instructions were read. A few trips to Home Depot were needed – that, I can do! Cement was mixed. Tools were located. Joey put a patriotic music mix on his phone, went shirtless and dug the big hole needed to set the flag pole. Our neighbor Yancey, a contractor and true handy man, was consulted on the cement process and in other areas, and we were able to muddle through the project. Around 4 in the afternoon, we hoisted the flag up the pole. It’s a thing of beauty. Joey’s happy and so are we. We live at the end of a dead-end road, so the flag pole won’t get a lot of visibility. But that’s OK. It’s our flag pole.

This is not a political post. Let’s finish right there. But please allow me one comment: When it comes to admiring the flag, in our yard, in our family, there will not be any grass stains on the clothes in our laundry basket.

Sprinting for 13.1 miles: You go, Molly!

Congratulations to senior track team captain Molly Weeks for completing Sunday's Ridgefield (CT) Half Marathon in her hometown, in 1:55:25. Molly is a record-setting sprinter on our track team: 13.1 miles is a long way to go for a sprinter. She went the distance, and we're proud of her. Don't worry, Moll, we won't ask you to go on long runs with the XC team ... but it's nice to know that you could if you wanted to. NICELY DONE!!!

Lehigh/Paul Short: In pictures

Thanks to Mr. Ropes (Charlie Ropes, dad of freshman Zachary Ropes) for sharing this link with close to 100 action shots from Saturday's race at Lehigh. Click on the link to see some fantastic photos.

Paul Short/Lehigh: Men's results

Paul Short Run

Lehigh University

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Men’s Brown Race, Team Standings

1-Princeton 68, 2. Siena 195, 3. Marist 202, 4. Shippensburg 208, 5. NYU 224, 6. Haverford 245, 7. Middlebury 257, 8. Oneonta 275, 9. Alleghany 373, 10. St. Francis 399, 11. Stonehill 426, 12. Washington and Lee 432, 13. College of New Jersey 496, 14. Binghamton 500, 15. Connecticut 524, 16. Ithaca 550, 17. Wesleyan 556, 18. Nebraska Wesleyan 560, 19. Rowan 567, 20. Rider 575, 21. Southern New Hampshire 02, 22. University of Rochester 632, 23. Lynchburg 640, 24. Adelphi 641, 25. Bucknell 642, 26. East Stroudsburg 651, 27. Muhlenberg 708, 28. Johns Hopkins 710, 29. Ramapo 718, 30. St. John Fisher 730, 31. Colgate 775, 32. VCU 779, 33. Holy Cross 836, 34. Eastern Mennonite 861, 35. Trinity 873, 36. Indiana of Pa. 878, 37. Westfield State 901, 38. Swarthmore 993, 39. Widener 1032, 40. Kutztown 1063, 41. Utica 1101, 42. Loyola Maryland 1144, 43. Niagara 1202, 44. St. Bonaventure 1330, 45. Lafayette 1374

Men’s Brown Race, individual results, 8km course

17. Spencer Johnson 25:03

34. Alex Hogue 25:21

35. Matt Baffuto 25:21

49. Saad Baig 25:31

67. Steven Rizzo 25:38

69. Riley Hughes 25:39

82. Mike Kennedy 25:45

85. Dietrich Mosel 25:46

92. Palmer Weimann 25:48

98. Chris Rivas 25:50

401 finishers

Men’s Open results, 8km course

59. Stefan Morton 25:40

60. Zach Ropes 25:41

65. Steven Morrison 25:45

69. Matt Adolph 25:48

85. Joe Miller 25:55

143. Patrick Hickey 26:28

145. Conor Stack 26:30

151. Connor Levins 26:32

159. Elias Platanias 26:36

167. Omar Perez (unattached) 26:40

199. Brian Edsall 26:55

202. Ryan Fitzsimons (Central Park Track Club) 26:57

216. Drew Burns 27:04

223. Dan Hillman 27:06

247. Brian Henderson 27:17

258. Will Esposito 27:22

262. Will Duggan 27:23

306. Eamonn Beers 27:51

348. Eddie White 28:20

367. Dom Fortino 28:39

378. Jalyn Alvarez 28:49

504 finishers

Paul Short/Lehigh: Women's results

Paul Short Run

Lehigh University

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Women’s Gold Race, Team Standings

1-Yale 92, 2. Georgetown 119, 3. Penn and West Virginia 127, 5. Florida 175, 6. Villanova 176, 7. Adams State 218, 8. Cornell 219, 9. Dartmouth 249, 10. Utah State 275, 11. Brown 288, 12. UMass Lowell 424, 13. Georgia 465, 14. Iona 476, 15. James Madison 479, 16. Columbia 508, 17. Buffalo 530, 18. Maryland 541, 19. Stony Brook 546, 20. Lehigh 600, 21. San Diego 687, 22. Holy Cross 709, 23. George Washington and Williams 722, 25. Quinnipiac 774, 26. Towson 781, 27. Stonehill 830, 28. UMBC 839, 29. Connecticut 846, 30. Monmouth 910, 31. Tempo 912, 32. Marist 922, 33. St. Leo 927, 34. St. Joseph’s 946, 35. Army West Point 948, 36. East Carolina 961, 37. Canisius 998, 38. La Salle 1022, 39. UMass 1054, 40. Tufts 1055, 41. Oneonta 1066, 42. Albany 1089, 43. Rutgers 1179, 44. VCU 1187, 45. Loyola Maryland 1265

Women’s individual results, Gold Race, 6km course

159. Mara Schiffhauer 21:46

176. Ali Bartolotta 21:51

206. Emily Burns 22:05

223. Elizabeth Wasserman 22:11

252. Shea Bohan 22:25

262. Mariah Christian 22:29

272. Christine Gambell 22:34

325. Jordan Casey 22:56

355. Bryn Gorberg 23:13

372. Janelle Solviletti 23:34

Paul Short Run

Lehigh University

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Women’s Open results

64. Nicki Nesi (unattached) 22:38

69. Jenna Robinson 22:42

84. Denise Grohn 22:59

85. Bianca Luparello 22:59

114. Brianne Vess 23:26

119. Emily Franko 23:31

121. Alyssa Lafave 23:32

126. Kerri-Anne Flynn 23:35

127. Kerry Gaye 23:35

130. Olivia Lappas 23:37

133. Annie Gould (unattached) 23:39

194. Kim Schwartz 24:25

211. Hannah Albert 24:33

231. Taylor Mueller 24:49

232. Jackie Bunce 24:50

273. Ashley Wallace 25:31

285. Kristi Licursi 25:43

340. Shannon Gildea 27:05

406 finishers

Paul Short/Lehigh: What you don’t want to hear

There are certain things in this life that you don’t want to hear. Here’s one of them: The PA announcer blaring to the cross country universe at Lehigh University the following words: “WILL THE MEN’S COACH FROM MARIST COLLEGE PLEASE REPORT TO THE MEDICAL TENT IMMEDIATELY. MARIST MEN’S COACH TO THE MEDICAL TENT.” You see. We have a bit of a history with the medical tent at Paul Short, of course none of it positive. So to be summoned there once again … well, it wasn’t fun. Turns out our athletes are OK now, but there was some post-race issues with which to deal. Paul Short is a tough race. Hundreds and hundreds of runners, racing aggressively and racing hard, usually in challenging conditions – rain, mud, wind, heat, etc., through the years. Post-race issues are bound to arise; they have in the past, and they did again today. We love notoriety for our program; just not for our visits to the med tent. OK!