What's next: NJIT meet on Saturday

 We have a partial squad of men (only) traveling to Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ, for the NJIT Highlander Invitational. Men's race is at 10:30a. 

The Forgotten Fox: Rachael Turek at Paul Short

 We will always remember Paul Short 2026 for what it wasn't: The races that never happened for Marist men's and women's cross country, after the Brown Division (among other) races were canceled due to the medical emergency caused by the heat. 

But we should also never forget Paul Short 2026 for what it was for our one, solitary athlete who DID race: Senior Rachael Turek, in the women's open race at 10:15a. 

We traveled to Paul Short with a relatively small roster -- relative to our past big teams. This is the reality now, the new normal of smaller rosters. 

We brought our top squad of men -- seven were scheduled to race -- and our entire women's roster of 13 active runners. 

Of those 13, 10 were scheduled to race in the Brown Division and three in the Open. Two of the scheduled Open runners were coming off recent illnesses. We determined earlier in the week that racing at less than 100 percent, in the forecasted shit show of bad weather, made no sense. Instead, they did a workout on the course before the Open races. 

That left Rachael as our lone entrant in the Open race -- and, as it turned out, in the entire meet!

Earlier in the week, I gave Rachael the option of not racing solo, instead coming back next Saturday at NJIT with a partial squad. She declined this offer, wanting to race Paul Short and being undaunted by being a one-woman team. 

Along with graduate assistant Grace LaCapra, we "huddled" near starting box 21, which Rach "shared" with a large contingent of Roger Williams runners. I joked about our "huddle" and, being the wiseass that I am, said: "Rachael on 3 ... 1-2-3 Rachael!" She was a good sport. Rach is always a good sport.

What Rachael is NOT is a fan of hot-weather running. 

Rach loves the cold. She's the one who is stripping off layers BEFORE heading outside for a run in 35-degree weather.

So anyway ... how did our one-woman team do? Rachael did GREAT. 

She finished 222nd out of 408 finishers and 20 DNFs in the 6km, running a solid time of 25:03.1. She improved 26 places throughout the race, looked strong ... and yes, she managed the heat quite well. 

Most importantly, she set the tone for the rest of the team, a message that the heat could be conquered. It was a message that ultimately never mattered. But Rachael's race mattered -- a lot -- to us, and we are grateful that Rachael Turek is now forever the answer to the following trivia question: 

Which Marist athlete is the only runner to have completed a race at the 2026 Paul Short Run?

PAUL SHORT RUN CANCELED

 Because of excessive heat, the second half of the Paul Short Run cross country meet was CANCELED this afternoon. 

The included the two Brown championship races in which we were entered.

So ... we are on the bus ride home now, instead of cheering on our athletes on the sun-baked course.

It's a really weird feeling. This has never happened (to us) before. We are in the process of processing our emotions and planning a pathway forward.

For the past three decades, Paul Short has been a key delineation marker of our fall XC season. After Paul Short, we round the corner toward championship races. Before Paul Short, we either don't race and/or train through early season September meets. 

Now ... what?

We're figuring that out.

Now ... we can be grateful that we didn't get into harm's way on a ridiculous, midsummer like day on October 2, while still trying to figure out how to move forward with our training, now that we don't have a key race from which to recover.

No Paul Short today for us. Weird feeling indeed.

Paul Short Run on Friday

 Men's Brown division race at 2p

Women's Brown division race at 2:45p

It will be very hot there. Again. With temperatures about 20 degrees above normal. 

We love this meet. We don't love its weather (most years)

Victory Lap celebration ppd

 In case you haven't already HEARD!

Saturday's Victory Lap celebration has been canceled due to the impending rainy 🌧 and windy weather.

We will host all alums and other Friends of the Program on the Saturday morning of Homecoming (Alumni) Weekend, from 10a to 12 noon o clock, at the Track at Gartland Commons. 

Hopefully! We'll see 👀 you THEN or soon.

Thank you for understanding. 

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!