Jasper XC meet: Women's results

 Solid early-season showing, strong 1-4 and then a bit of a gap. Nice, challenging course. 

Jasper Fall XC Invitational
Blue Sky Sports Complex
Middletown, NY
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Women’s team scores
1-Army West Point 42, 2-Quinnipiac 60, 3-Marist 113, 4-Rider 124, 5-Temple 146, 6-Sacred Heart 166, 7-Fairfield 178, 8-Albany 214, 9-Fordham 218, 10-Seton Hall 231, 11-Manhattan 278, 12-Siena 283
Women’s individual results, 6km course
14-Helena Szep 22:03.4
16-Abigail Kowalczyk 22:13.2
19-Emily Litke 22:15.7
23-Sofia Bane 22:16.9
47-Julia Zydanowicz 23:00.6
54-Julia Radjenovic 23:13.8
77-Edy Livingston 23:50.2
78-Sophia Vukelic 23:51.1
83-Lily Kogut 23:56.3
96-Rachael Turek 24:38.1
103-Evelyn Hoak 24:56.3

113-Ava VanDeventer 25:28.8
139 finishers

Jasper XC meet: Men's results

 New course, a few miles down the road from Twin Ponds. This course is true cross country, challenging with some hills and spectator friendly. Neat

Jasper Fall XC Invitational
Blue Sky Sports Complex
Middletown, NY
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Men’s team scores
1-Army West Point 15, 2-Fordham 92, 3-Siena 106, 4-Rider 118, 5-Quinnipiac 144, 6-Fairfield 163, 7-Seton Hall 167, 8-Manhattan 204, 9-Sacred Heart 221, 10-Marist 249, 11-Albany 315, 12-St. Peter’s 383
Men’s individual results, 8km course
6-Sean Galvin 25:07.4
51-Matthew Ferreri 26:37.7
84-Pierce Francis 27:25.7
93-Gavin McGann 27:36.6
103-Kaleb Stoeckmann 27:58.3
121-Nolan Mussatt 28:46.8
140 finishers

Pre-meet dinner = tradition continues

 

It's a time-honored tradition, dating back (at least) more than a decade: Men's cross country team dinner, catered by our good friends at Tnf Pizza in Hyde Park. Tonight's dinner included 1.5 trays of two Fan Favorites: Chicken Parm and Penne a la Vodka pasta. Although I wasn't there, I'm certain that everyone had their fill. Neat.

Next (XC) meet: Saturday at Blue Sky

 The next meet on the (2026) XC schedule is a preview of the Metro (formerly MAAC) Championship, on Saturday. Here are the DETAILS: 

Jasper Fall XC Invitational
Preview of the inaugural Metro Conference Championship
Venue: Blue Sky Sports Complex
162 Ohaire Road
Middletown, NY 10941
 
Women's 6k start: 11:00am
Men's 8K start: 12:00pm

Spectator Parking: $10 per vehicle

Introducing the (South Field) throws area!

 THIS IS VERY EXCITING! The throws field at South Field is complete(d), with (state-of-the-art) hammer/discus cage, dual shot put circles and a javelin approach. Next time you are ON CAMPUS, come check it OUT.

Home meet: Women's results

 Solid start for a (very) young team - five of the 10 Marist runners in the race were freshmen. Graduate student Emily Litke -- back for a bonus year -- led the way.

Marist Season Opener
Friday, September 4, 2026
Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve
Women’s 5km results
2-Emily Litke 18:29.9
3-Helena Szep 18:41.8
4-Sofi Bane 18:44.9
8-Abigail Kowalczyk 19:08.9
16-Julia Radjenovic 19:26.2
24-Sophia Vukelic 19:53.6
25-Ava Vandeventer 20:02.2
27-Lily Kogut 20:06.3
32-Rachael Turek 20:37.3
37-Evelyn Hoak 21:03.9
44 finishers
Women’s team standings
1-Marist 33, 2-Albany 52, 3-Fairfield 56, 4-Siena 75

Home meet: Men's results

 Excellent debut for freshman Sean Galvin, who took first place overall to lead a (very) partial squad.

Marist Season Opener
Friday, September 4, 2026
Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve
Men’s 6km results
1-Sean Galvin 19:31.0
5-Chase Kober 19:50.8
14-Matthew Ferreri 20:20.2
19-Pierce Francis 20:27.9
25-Kaleb Stoeckmann 20:58.0
30 finishers
Men’s team scores
1-Fairfield 47, 2-Siena 52, 3-Albany 60, 4-Marist 62

First XC meet (of 2026)

 Marist Season Opener
Friday, September 4, 2026
Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve, Poughkeepsie, NY
Men's 6km at 5:45p
Women's 5km at 6:30p
Teams in attendance: UAlbany, Fairfield, Marist, Siena

Notes: 

--Friday late afternoon/early evening format because it was better in terms of scheduling for Vassar and the Farm

--Smaller meet - Iona has decided to attend a meet on Long Island at the site of the NCAA Northeast Regional meet later in November

--Right after the meet, we'll all be scurrying back to campus to watch the Home Opener for the football team vs. Franklin Pierce

--We will be racing a partial squad of men and women

--Next meet = Saturday, September 19, Jasper Fall XC Classic at Blue Sky Sports Complex in Middletown, NY, site of The Metro (formerly MAAC) Championship

Victory Lap 2.0 ...

 We have it scheduled for Saturday, September 26, 2026. As of right now, one (1) person has registered in advance. If we don't get adequate interest, we will cancel. I do not want to cancel. So if you are interested or know someone interested in attending, please spread the word for you/them to register. Here is the link to register: 

Hope to see you then or soon ... 

5 million page views

An Alert Reader pointed out that this blog hit the 5 million mark in terms of page views last week. He also noted that the "hits" counter may be accumulating with the aid of unknown, mysterious "Bots" ... and that's true. 

This blog has been in "business" for 20 years now, with the first posts dating back to 2007. I don't post nearly as much as I did in the 2010s and early 2020s ... and I appreciate the few readers who still follow along.

Here's to 5 million more page views -- even fake ones!

Preseason 2026: Lisa's awesome presentation!

 

On Saturday afternoon, Forever Fox Lisa (D'Aniello) Chase (Class of 2008) did an amazing presentation for our women's XC team. The topic was all the lessons she has learned from a lifetime of running -- starting at age 6 as a kid growing up in Connecticut, all the way to the present day, where she is thriving as a masters runner (having turned 40 earlier this year). Her information and messaging was SO important for dedicated, young, female distance runners to hear. 

It should be noted that in this picture, the team members in the audience were not being rude (on their phones). Lisa was talking about the pitfalls of Strava as a comparison tool (much like all social media) and had them pull up Strava and show them that they could change their privacy settings. It was one of MANY outstanding information points (and lessons) that culminated an awesome day that saw Lisa meet the team at Minnewaska for a run, come back to campus and do this presentation. One of my all-time preseason highlights. Thank you, Lisa. Neat. 

Preseason 2026: Men at Minnewaska

 

Full team (top) + seniors (four of them)

Preseason 2026: Women at Minnewaska

 

Preseason 2026: First few days

 Preseason cross country training has begun, with a lot of familiar activities (pictures to follow). 

On Wednesday, the teams went to the Staatsburgh State Historic Site for the traditional "Mills Hills" workout.

On Thursday, the team went to Vassar Farm for a run-through of the season opener course.

On Friday, the teams went to the New Paltz rail trail, parking at the "Sojourner Truth Kayak Lot" for some easy/steady running with pickups. 

On Saturday, the teams went to Minnewaska State Park Preserve, which was bustling with activity - the Vassar XC teams were there, among others. Marist alum Spencer Bossi-Johnson (a Vassar XC assistant coach) was there too!

On Sunday, it's move-out day, as the athletes move from preseason housing at Ward Hall into their permanent on- or off-campus residences.

The weather so far has been favorable -- warm and relatively low humidity, and no rain (during practice time anyway). Here's hoping for more of the same in the coming days and weeks. 

Marist track team store

 There has been some interest in a Marist Track team store for team gear. Here is the link. If there is further interest in the future, we can have BSN Sports reopen the team store.

Please note: This is your opportunity to get Marist team gear. If and when you visit campus, please refrain from asking me if there are "any extra shirts laying around" that you can have. We don't do that anymore. We order what we need for the team and that's it. Any surpluses go back to the team. 

Not to sound like a grumpy old man but ... the world is Really Expensive now. Everything. Our operating budget included. It's why we are constantly asking for your support through Day of Giving and other such enterprises.

So anyway! If you want team gear? Here (again) is the link: Red Fox Track Team Store

Sign of the time(s)

 

Nice to see Marist Campus Safety getting into the preseason spirit. XC teams return to campus on Tuesday and the first practices are on Wednesday. Neat. 

41 years ago ...

 

An alert team member texted me a picture of this classic photo -- the 1985 men's cross country team at Marist College. That fall (1985) was the first time Marist fielded a women's team as well! The above photo of the XC team from 41 (!) years ago includes two current Metro Conference cross country/track coaches. Yet another cross country season begins here at Marist next week with the start of preseason. The road goes on forever.

School record board: In with the new!

 Here are the updated boards -- women's indoor track, women's outdoor track, men's indoor track, men's outdoor track. It is so cool to see so many 2026s (and a few 2025s) on this board! Hoping to have a similar chore next summer ...

School record board: Out with the old ...

 

With the help of my son James, we updated the school record boards in the hallway of the McCann Center on Monday afternoon. Here is a scattering of the old records that were removed from the board. We will discard these OR/AND save them for the (previous) record holder(s) to keep as a souvenir. 

Peru update: Amari/Team USA get silver!

 

Amari Mathis was part of the silver-medal winning 4x100 relay on Friday night in Lima, Peru. The team completed the relay in 41.26 seconds. Earlier in the day! Amari got sixth in the 200-meter dash in 21.57 seconds. Overall! It was a GREAT week for Amari and Coach Alisha as they represented Marist Track as part of the UNI USA team at this meet. Fantastic STUFF. Very proud (of them both). Neat.

Peru update: Amari's first day (of competition)

 Amari Mathis had a good first day (of competition) down in Lima. 

In the 100-meter semifinal, Amari ran 10.48 seconds, qualifying for the final.

In the 100-meter final, Amari placed fifth with a time of 10.52 seconds. 

In the 200-meter semifinal, Amari ran 21.71 seconds, qualifying for the final. 

On Friday, Amari will run in the following events: 

--200-meter final

--Team USA 4x100 meter relay (men's)

--Team USA 4x100 meter relay (mixed gender)

Peru update: Getting ready to GO!

 

(pictures from this morning, just before competition begins)

Competition day (in Peru)!

 

Amari is racing in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes today. Very exciting!

Peru postcards

 

In the "it's a small world" department ... Marist Forever Fox Track Alum Eli Bisnett-Cobb spotted Amari's Marist track shirt and met up with him for this impromptu Fox reunion. Eli is in Peru with the University of San Diego volleyball team, serving as the team's head athletic trainer. 

Below is a photo of Amari at practice on the track, taken by Coach Alisha.

Amari and Alisha in Peru: The story

As stated in the previous post!
 
Record-setting sprinter (and newly minted Class of 2026 Marist University alum) Amari Mathis is currently in Lima, Peru, representing the United States at an international track meet this week. It’s actually more than just a track meet; the FISU American Games are an Olympic-style event. Below (in italics, at the end of this post) is the information we received on it back in the spring.
 
The genesis of Amari (and Coach Alisha) going to this event is a vintage Marist story (at least, in my opinion).
 
Brandon Rizzo is the (very successful) assistant track coach at Penn State University, where his short and long sprinters are NCAA Championship caliber. Rizz is also a Marist alum that most of you may not even remember, thanks to the Dark Cloud of Covid.
 
Rizz graduated from Montclair State University in 2020 (that should be a red flag right there), where he was an outstanding 400 hurdler. He reached out to me about completing his eligibility (and possibly coaching) at Marist in 2020-2021 – you know, that Dark Period in our program’s (and, really, our country’s) history. Rizz was loyal, dedicated and even raced a few times despite barely practicing because of You Know What. He always wanted to coach and he was set to be a volunteer coach for us in the fall of 2021 when a part-time offer at Penn State came about. This soon morphed into a full-time position and his (track coaching) career has skyrocketed ever since.
 
Along the way and improbably, Rizz has been a steadfastly loyal alum and follower of our program, despite being here for a relative blip on the radar. Whenever our paths have crossed, it is Classic Marist – hugs, smiles and well-wishes both ways. Rizz followed our program closely and loved the rapid ascension of our Speed and Power athletes.
 
He became affiliated with this FISU American Games event as a coach, and he reached out to me right away (in March) about Amari being part of the USA contingent. “Gotta take care of my Foxes” was what he said, and this was no sentimental gesture; Amari proved every bit worthy of a spot on this team based on his truly outstanding outdoor track season.
 
Initially, Rizz was going to use Amari as a relay guy, but as his performances improved this season, his stock continued to rise for this FISU meet. As our outdoor track season came to a close, we reached out to Rizz to see if he would be coaching Amari or if Coach Alisha should still be writing his workouts.
 
And that’s when the next surprise came: Rizz asked Alisha if she could be part of the USA coaching contingent in Peru! And so, that’s where we are – Marist track at an international meet in the middle of the summer.
 
Here are the details:  
 
The FISU America Games are a multi-sport event sanctioned by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). Alternating with the Summer and Winter World University Games, which invite all the countries of the world for their biennial events, the FISU America Games are a regional multi-sport event similar to the Pan-American Games for FISU member-countries of North America (including those in Central America) and South America, held in even-numbered years.
 
The 2026 FISU America Games will be the fourth edition of the FISU America Games, held in Lima, Peru from July 20 - August 1, 2026. The Games will have USA Team representation in up to 15 sports against 20-25 participating countries. Athletes and staff will stay in the Athletes’ Village.
 
UniUSA brings together the nation’s most talented student-athletes in global, university-level competition organized by FISU, the governing body for university sport worldwide. With an impressive list of former UniUSA student-athletes going on to compete with distinction at Pan American and Olympic Games, as well as at the highest levels of professional sport, UniUSA provides a platform for future success. Participation selection and priority is given to
individuals and teams that best represent the United States, both on and off the field.

Amari and Coach Alisha in Peru!

 

This photo of Amari Mathis, his parents, and Coach Alisha was taken from the Miami airport as they were en route to Lima, Peru, where they arrived in the early-morning hours today (Monday, 27 July). Amari was selected to be part of the USA track and field contingent at an international meet, and Coach Alisha was selected to be among the track coaching staff. More details on the meet will follow, but this is a really exciting opportunity for Amari and Coach Alisha! Amari will be racing later this week -- events and dates/times are still pending. Highly neat!!!

Lauren Harris, national champion!

 

Congrats to Marist alum (Class of 2021) Lauren Harris for her USATF national championship in the half-marathon racewalk, which she won in 1:38:35.56, almost 10 minutes ahead of Maria Michta-Coffey, perhaps the greatest USA racewalker in history who is still among the elites in the sport at age 40. Lauren races for NYAC. Congrats also to Marist alum Katie Miale (New England Walkers) for her 10th-place finish in 2:06:40.61. 

Another alumni wedding! Congrats to Brie (Vess) and Calvin

 

Here is (yet another) Marist Alumni picture (no banner, no problem) from Friday night's blessed nuptials for Brianne (Brie) Vess to her (new) husband, Calvin. Always a treat to attend (these).

Future planning: Home track meet dates (for 2027)

 Consider this a Save The Date notice. Or, really? Save The Dates ...

Friday and Saturday, April 16-17: Red Fox River Rumble 2.0. We will move to a two-day format to accommodate the throws events on campus + we may add distance race(s) under the lights on Friday.

Saturday and Sunday, May 8-9: Metro Conference Championships. That's right. The (what used to be the MAAC) meet will be hosted at Marist for the first time. Pretty exciting! Hope you can make it back for this historic event. 

So, put these dates on the calendar and make it back to the Track at Gartland Commons (as well as the still-under-construction) Throws Field at South Field next to the McCann Recreation Center.