Blog numbers (thoughts on a New Year!)

Year-end reflections are commonplace as we (try to) blend seamlessly from 2023 into 2024, so I’ll add to the pile of such things with this post. For those of you reading this here, thank you for continuing to follow the Marist Running blog. I started this blog way back in 2007 – which, at the time, was the height of the blog craze.
 
Now, as we enter 2024, blogs seem like a quaint relic from another era – “so 2000s”. Sure, they still exist, but there are many more modern ways to disseminate information (usually involving videos, or other forms of social media). And yet, I plunder along … but apparently, not as frequently as I once did. A quick glance at this blog’s numbers reveals that 2023 had the fewest number of posts for a full year since this blog started (not counting 2007, which was a partial year). In its heyday (numerically, that would be from 2010 through 2019), there were a few years with more than 400 posts – an average of more than one post a day! Now, there is less than half the number of posts. It is what it is, but we’ll posit a few explanations (along with a shameless, personal plug):
 
Part of that is because my writing energy is splintered with the start of my Substack running column, which replaced my now-shuttered Poughkeepsie Journal running column (which was unceremoniously discontinued by Dutchess County’s Finest Daily Newspaper in December 2022). Since the Substack newsletter is subscription-based, I have put more time and energy into that this past year – oddly and ironically, far more time and effort than I did with my Pok Journal column! If you have subscribed to that Substack, I greatly appreciate your support. If not, please consider checking it out and subscribing at the very fair rate of $30 per year – with about 120 posts in 2023, that averages out to a mere 25 cents per post! Yes, I’m very well aware that you can stay here at Marist Running for FREE … but any support of my (other) writing efforts are appreciated. Go to petecolaizzo.substack.com to subscribe. Thank you for allowing another shameless plug.
 
Back to the year-end thoughts: Yes, I will continue to post here at Marist Running. Yes, part of the fewer-posts thing has to do with the Substack, which I hope to maintain and even expand in 2024. And yes, part of the fewer posts is just the natural progression of time. Another year means another year older (I turn 60 in 2024!) and after 33 years of coaching, the gears grind a little slower with each ensuing year. So again, thanks for sticking with this blog and thanks for your patience at the sometimes-seemingly-interminable lapses between posts. Marist Running will continue to be a record-keeping outlet for team news and especially for results, although the details of the results may be more bare-bones than in the past – most results links include splits now, so it seems redundant to re-type them all here … again, I’m getting old!
 
The “team news” aspect of this blog may be centered more around the plans for our much-anticipated track and turf project at NorthField. Yes, we’ll be actively soliciting donations to the cause – here’s a link for you to donate right now if you want! – but we’re also striving for more “alumni engagement” in 2024. We want to get our alumni base excited about this project, for sure, and in the process try to forge connections among the many generations of Marist Running. And really when you get right down to it, “alumni engagement” is about more than generating excitement for the new track; it’s about generating excitement for our current Running Red Foxes track and cross country teams.
 
So there you have it, an end-of-year ramble from Marist Running: A place where we specialize in rambling, run-on sentences, and have for the past two decades. Neat! On to (20)24!

Track! Here are a few LINKS ...

 The excitement -- the buzz -- continues about the proposed new track facility at North Field, which we are hoping to be ready for spring 2025. For those keeping score, that's less than 1.5 years from now! The Poughkeepsie Journal did a nice piece on the topic, and here is the link to that story by our pal Stephen Haynes. And, I would be remiss to not include a link to DONATE to the fundraising campaign to get this project to the finish line. Please consider donating here. And stay tuned throughout 2024 for track alumni initiatives to continue to generate excitement for this really neat project. 

Track!

 After all these years, decades of van rides, thousands of blog posts, endless meets, endless seasons, endless practices off-campus ... it's incredible to announce that Marist College has plans to build an outdoor track facility on our beautiful campus, at North Field. Most if not all of you reading this blog post are probably aware of this -- through social media, email, etc. If this post is "breaking the news" to you! I'm honored and humbled to do so. 

If all goes well, the track should be completed in time for our current teams to be practicing on it (and, who knows, maybe competing in a meet at home!) by spring of 2025. That's really soon! That's the next academic year. Exciting times, to be sure. The projected timetable = construction starting in late spring/early summer. This should have the track and turf portion of the project completed by early in 2025. Again, that's pretty soon!

For those who got the news through various Marist media outlets, you know that the College is seeking support for this endeavor. It is my hope that you will consider financial support for this project, and for our program. But hey, there's plenty of time for that, and we'll be sure to plan some alumni outreach and events -- to get everyone together, get us all energized ... and, yeah, hit you up for some $$ for this project. 

For now, let's bask in a moment we never thought we'd see. A track is coming to the Marist College campus. What, my friends, can be neater than that!

Spencer's San Diego TC team = National Champions!

 

Congratulations to Marist Running alum Spencer Johnson (second from right) and his San Diego Track Club teammates for winning the USATF club national cross country championships on Saturday in Talahassee, FL! The team scored 73 points to edge out second-place Minnesota Distance Elite in a field of 25 teams. Spencer placed 11th overall and was third man for SDTC, finishing the 10km course in 31:49.2. SDTC's top three men were ninth (Steven Martinez, 31:43.3), 10th (Jacob Mitchem, 31:46.7) and 11th (Spencer, 31:49.2). Nicely done! Also there was Marist Running alum Dietrich Mosel, racing for the Central Park TC team (Deet was 66th overall in 33:31.8). Ryan Kutch of CPTC was second overall in 30:55.4 - Ryan's brother Patrick Kutch is a Marist Running alum. Congrats to all. Neat!

Wagner Seahawk Shootout: Men's results

(another) great day for sprinter Amari Mathis = personal-best in the 60 dash/IC4A qualifier + school record in the seldom-raced 300 dash! Easton Eberwein also shattered Tim Johnson's previous mark, just a few ticks behind Amari. On to 2024 = looking forward to Many Exciting New Developments as the calendar flips to a new year. OK!

Wagner Seahawk Shootout
Friday, December 8, 2023
Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex
Men’s results
60-meter dash
6-Amari Mathis 6.93 *IC4A qualifier
17-Christopher Boston 7.07
60-Easton Eberwein 7.42
81-Simon Advento 7.69
300-meter dash
31-Amari Mathis 36.01 *school record, old record 36.26 by Tim Johnson, 2016
32-Easton Eberwein 36.02 *also breaks previous school record
53-Weston LaBrecque 37.22
61-Christopher Boston 37.56
85-Simon Advento 38.69
89-Jake Zappala 39.42
600-meter dash
20-Joe Logan 1:25.61
25-Matthew Ferreri 1:26.47
42-Jacob Anderson 1:31.60
Mile run
8-Ian Wiesinger 4:27.00
10-John Ignacz 4:31.41
13-Sean Dearie 4:32.46
3,000-meter run
13-Ryan Wisker 9:10.31
14-Thomas Cavuoto 9:11.89
16-Jack Dovaras 9:13.38
17-Alexander Pattison 9:16.36
1,600-meter relay
22-Marist (John Ignacz 56.58, Sean Dearie 51.87, Ian Wiesinger 56.69, Matthew Ferreri 54.40) 3:39.44

Wagner Seahawk Shootout: Women's results

Excellent triple from sophomore Julia Kropo! On to 2024 = we are looking forward to many exciting developments in the coming year. Neat!

 

Wagner Seahawk Shootout
Friday, December 8, 2023
Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex
Women’s results
60-meter dash
39-Julia Kropo 8.13
47-Stephania Granados 8.43
54-Breelyn McNamara 8.51
56-Alyssa Dapont 8.54
57-Kiana Pathirana 8.55
71-Karlyn Nass 8.81
300-meter dash
41-Julia Kropo 43.38
46-Stephania Granados 44.09
52-Grace Fletcher 44.54
60-Alyssa Dapont 45.28
65-Breelyn McNamara 45.70
68-Cailin Horton 46.07
69-Kate Beebe 46.09
86-Karlyn Nass 49.26
600-meter dash
23-Anaiya Bobo 1:45.94
26-Mackenzie Schubert 1:46.93
27-Caroline Bell 1:51.57
Mile run
10-Kayla Hawkins 5:27.82
60-meter hurdles
15-Kate Beebe 9.73
1,600-meter relay
13-Marist (Grace Fletcher 63.38, Julia Kropo 60.72, Caroline Bell 67.52, Anaiya Bobo 64.05) 4:15.65
Triple jump
9-Kiana Pathirana 10.51 meters (34 feet 5.75 inches)

What's next: Wagner meet at Ocean Breeze

 Our program's final competition of the 2023 calendar year will be at Ocean Breeze on Friday, for the "Seahawk Shootout" hosted by Wagner College on Staten Island. Doors open at 10:30a with the meet starting at 12 noon and running for about six hours. Because this is the last day of classes before the final exam period, we will have a limited roster of student-athletes competing at the meet. Here is a time schedule for track events (women race first).

12 noon: 60 hurdles

12:30p: 60 dash

1:20p: Mile

2p: 300 dash

3:20p: 600 dash

4p: 1,000 run

4:30p: 3,000 run

5:20p: 4x200 relay

5:40p: 4x400 relay

Hope to see you there. OK!

BU Season Opener: Women's results

Two school records lead the way!

 Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener
Boston University
Saturday, December 2, 2023
Women’s results
60 dash
22-Stephania Granados 8.28
25-Kiana Pathirana 8.45
26-Sydney Villani 8.56
29-Alyssa DaPont 8.88
200 dash
12-Stephania Granados 27.04
13-Breelyn McNamara 27.14
16-Julia Cristinzio 27.47
17-Julia Kropo 27.60
21-Kate Beebe 29.01
300-meter dash
33-Grace Murphy 49.91
400 dash
19-Julie Cristinzio 1:03.02
20-Julia Kropo 1:03.15
21-Breelyn McNamara 1:03.22
600 dash
8-Caroline Bell 1:48.54
33.41, 36.59, 38.56
800 run
15-Grace Fletcher 2:25.40
32.72, 36.91, 37.46, 38.32
16-Anaiya Bobo 2:28.51
34.68, 36.39, 38.93, 38.53
17-Sydney Driscoll-Gannon 2:30.13
36.29, 38.31, 38.25, 37.29
Mile
36-Parker O’Brien 5:10.90
37.29, 36.45, 38.35, 38.67, 38.98, 40.07, 40.50, 40.63
41-Sierra Fisher 5:18.80
37.64, 38.17, 38.97, 40.07, 41.27, 41.94, 41.09, 39.67
3,000-meter run
131-Mallory Holloway 10:50.40
Kilometer splits: 3:21.93, 7:02.44, 10:55.40
60 hurdles
7-Madison LaCreta 9.67 (preliminary, qualified for finals; 9^th in final, 9.79)
15-Sydney Villani 9.97
16-Kate Beebe 9.99
High jump
3-Grace O’Neill 1.60 meters (5 feet, 3 inches) *school record; old record 1.57 by Fallon Quigley in 2014
Triple jump
5-Kiana Pathirana 10.75 meters (35 feet, 3¼ inches) *school record; old record 10.69 by Brooke Kristensen in 2011
7-Madison LaCreta 10.54 meters (34 feet, 7 inches)
Long jump
17-Isabella Cipolla 4.45 meters (14 feet, 7¼ inches)

BU Season Opener: Men's results

Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener
Boston University
Saturday, December 2, 2023
Men’s results
60-meter dash
2-Amari Mathis 6.94 *IC4A qualifier (7.01 in preliminary, qualified for final)
6-Christopher Boston 7.07 (7.15 in preliminary, qualified for final)
200-meter dash
5-Amari Mathis 22.45
15-Easton Eberwein 22.94
24-Simon Advento 24.24
25-Jake Zappala 25.29
400-meter dash
9-Easton Eberwein 50.15
18-Weston LaBrecque 51.84
19-Simon Advento 52.76
23-Jake Zappala 55.15
800-meter run
24-John Ignacz 2:00.33
29.23, 29.57, 31.00, 30.55
28-Francisco Mendonca 2:02.28
31.62, 29.65, 30.91, 30.11
29-Joseph Logan 2:02.61
31.07, 30.26, 31.13, 30.17
30-Marcel Stewart 2:02.92
30.62, 30.13, 30.99, 31.20
33-Jacob Anderson 2:04.34
28.98, 29.90, 31.47, 34.02
36-Neel Viswanathan 2:07.62
32.35, 30.20, 31.18, 33.91
1,000-meter run
10-Raffi Buchakjian 2:32.89
30.23, 30.51, 31.34, 31.14, 29.70
13-Sean Dearie 2:34.55
29.77, 30.50, 31.17, 31.76, 31.36
15-Matthew Ferreri 2:38.78
30.22, 31.21, 31.74, 32.02, 33.61
Mile run
46-Tyler Perry 4:22.84
33.05, 32.05, 31.79, 32.49, 32.06, 33.28, 34.01, 34.13
5,000-meter run (unseeded)
42-Kieran Donnelly 14:53.22
46-Gabe Rodriguez 15:01.21
1,600-meter relay
9-Marist A (Marcel Stewart 53.41, Joe Logan 52.51, John Ignacz 54.47, Matthew Ferreri 53.48)
3:33.87

Hotel haircut

 

Thanks to junior middle distance runner Neel Viswanathan (aka Neel Vis-cuts) for his outstanding haircutting skills -- this is already well-known on the team -- on his old coach here in our hotel in Natick, MA, in advance of tomorrow's season-opener at Boston University. Neel called this "the easiest haircut" -- and really, who could argue with this logic? There wasn't much to work with! In classic infomercial style, I gave a frowny face (before) and a smiley face (after) -- the only thing missing was the black-and-white/before imagery with somber music, followed by a quick switch to color and upbeat mood (if you've watched enough bad before/after commercials, you know what I mean). Neel did fine work, and it was much overdue. Don't worry, my guy Sal (my regular barber) will still be in the heavy rotation. For tonight, in the hotel, Neel did great work. Neat. (Thanks to Gabe Rodriguez for taking the photos)