Amari Mathis had a good first day (of competition) down in Lima.
Below is a photo of Amari at practice on the track, taken by Coach Alisha.
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.
I just saw a very interesting article about the USATF Outdoor Track Championships and the fact that Icahn Stadium in New York City will be the host. That's right. A major national/international (track) meet is being held ... and it is NOT in TrackTown USA (Eugene, Oregon). This is a huge development!
Icahn Stadium is a fantastic -- if oddly located -- track venue. It is on Randalls Island, sitting underneath the Triboro Bridge and floating between the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens. It is technically part of Manhattan. It's not easy to get to, but it is worth the trip.
This article quotes Lauren Primerano extensively. Lauren is a Manhattan College track alum and she runs the show at Ocean Breeze. She is a mover and a shaker in the NYC track scene, and she deserves a lot of credit for getting the USATF meet here in the metropolitan area, just days after Giants Stadium in New Jersey (I know it's technically called "Met Life Stadium" but it'll always be Giants Stadium to me!) hosted the World Cup final on Sunday.
So for a few days anyway, NYC (or, at least, a small part of it) becomes TrackTown USA!
Our cross country schedule is (mostly) set and a Very Alert and Loyal Alum pointed that for the quite possibly first time in the 64-year program history (other than the Fall of Covid 2020) there will be no meets on the schedule at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. Say it ain't so!
Well ... welcome to the New World Order of cross country, which actually isn't All That New. Courses tend to be more flat, more loopy and less hilly. Thus ... (the original layout of) Vanny has been consigned to the scrap heap of the past. Oh sure, there are still a few meets on the original course (most notably, the Iona Meet of Champions). But for the most part ... not.
There was a time when the majority of the team's meets were at Vanny: Iona MOC, Mets, IC4A/ECAC, Conference, and sometimes NCAA Northeast Regionals. Now? NO.
Here's our 2026 XC schedule
Friday, September 4: Marist Season Opener at Vassar Farm (new this year: early evening start on Friday). Also new? No senior day! That will be in April 2027 on our TRACK
Saturday, September 19: Jasper Fall XC meet at Blue Sky Sports Complex in Middletown, NY (Orange County, close to Twin Ponds venue of the past few years). Note: This is a new venue, which will also host the Metro Conference (formerly the MAAC) Championships on Halloween.
Friday, October 2: Paul Short Run at Lehigh
Saturday, October 10: Metropolitan Championships, venue TBA. Note: There is a CHANCE that this meet (which currently has no venue) could be held at Van Cortlandt, thus continuing the "streak" ... there is also a chance that we may not even race at this meet! Stay tuned ...
Saturday, October 17: IC4A/ECAC Championships at Bethpage State Park, Long Island. Also the site of the NCAA Northeast Regional meet
Saturday, October 31: Metro Conference (aka MAAC) Championships at Blue Sky in Middletown, NY (Orange County, close to Twin Ponds venue of the past few years)
Friday, November 13: NCAA Northeast Regional at Bethpage
That's it for now...
As a (quick) follow-up to previous post! It is CONFIRMED that the Victory Lap 2.0 will be on Saturday, September 26, with a late-afternoon start time.
There will be a (Marist) football game that day, with a 12 noon o'clock start, so they want us to start our festivities after the game is over and parking/campus is a little less congested. Of course! You are always welcome to come early and support the Red Foxes' football team before our track celebration.
Based on (the very limited) feedback from alums: We will have an Alumni/Open Mile and we will have children's races. Other thoughts/options are welcome - let me know via email (Peter.Colaizzo@marist.edu) or text (845 309 3640).
One other concept: We will like to welcome back (and honor) all previous (and current) school record holders! So if you still hold (or you used to hold) a school record on the track, come back and be recognized for your greatness!
We would like to thank (in advance, pun intended) our Advancement Office for their help and support with this event. They noted that last year's Victory Lap had the biggest attendance (in terms of sheer numbers) of any such alumni event. They also noted that we (meaning ME) should not expect as big of a turnout for 2.0. So, here's a challenge: Prove them wrong! Come back, and bring friends!
Hope you have a good Holiday Weekend.
Saturday, September 26, in the mid/late afternoon
Similar format, we may expand the race offerings.
A celebration of the track, with alumni, family and friends.
It is NOT on the same weekend as the Dutchess County Classic this year but it IS on the same corresponding weekend as last year's Victory Lap.
More details on registration and programming of the day to follow later in the summer.
Note: This is YOUR day (alumni and family and friends) so we are open to YOUR suggestions on what you would like to see and do.
We said we wanted to make this an Annual Event ... so here we go!
FYI? The first year of the New Track (by the way? the formal name is The Track at Gartland Commons but we just call it "the track" or "North Field") was friggin awesome.
If you haven't been back to see it, now is the time! If you have already been back, now is the time to return! From my perspective, every day at the track is an awesome day. It will never get old (for me). I hope you feel the same way.
Congrats to Marist Running Superstar Lisa Chase for her truly outstanding race at Albany's Run For Women 5km last Saturday. This is a national/international caliber field of women's racers and Lisa proved that she is "mastering" her new age division!
But rather than telling you more about it, allow me to poach Lisa's post-race post on Strava, along with the finish photo. Great job, Lisa!
Thanks to loyal alum Marty McGowan for sending me this nearly month-old link from GoredFoxes with one of the worst headlines I can imagine (see also, "burying the lead") about the MAAC All-Academic Teams for track. "MAAC Announces Outdoor Track & Field All Academic Teams" was the headline. Back when I was in journalism class (or out in the Real World of journalism), we would call this a "no sh*t" headline. As in, no sh*t, they announced the team! What's buried deep in the story? Marist's men's track team had the most number of All Academic selections in the conference! How about "Men's Track Leads the Way in Academic Honorees" ... or something like that.
Gosh, I sound like a Bitter Old Man, don't I?
Anyway, we had 28 men (first place) and 28 women (third place) who qualified for MAAC All Academic honors. We are proud of this. And, as we always used to say, "hey, at least we're First Place in Something!
Same conference = different name.
Introducing the Metro Conference.
Are you CONFUSED? Don't be.
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) has rebranded and renamed to the Metro Conference (see new logo above).
Nothing else has changed other than the NAME.
As with any changes, there are varied opinions.
My opinion? None. I'm neutral (plus, we knew this was coming). Our goal to Be Better in conference championships doesn't change ... even if the name does.
