MAAC Announces 40th Anniversary Cross Country Team
MAAC Announces 40th Anniversary Cross Country Team
Edison, N.J. (Aug. 27, 2020) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) celebrates its 40
th Anniversary throughout the 2020-21 academic year, continuing its mission to provide student-athletes the opportunity to succeed in both academics and athletics.
The 40
th Anniversary Cross Country Team highlights some of the best student-athletes in MAAC history. MAAC Cross Country dates back to 1981 when Iona College captured the first Men’s Cross Country title. Iona leads the conference with 34 men’s championships and 15 women’s championships. Former MAAC members La Salle University and Army West Point follow on the men’s side, with La Salle claiming three titles and Army claiming two. On the women’s side, Manhattan College has six women’s championships and Canisius College has five.
The 2020 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a possible makeup date in the spring of 2021. For a full statement on the cancellation of fall sports competition,
click here.
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| Canisius College |
| Men |
| Michale Anvelt |
2012-15 |
| Tom Appenheimer |
1990-94 |
| Pat Leone |
1998-00, 2002 |
| Chad Maloy |
2011-14 |
Chris Kane – 1989-90
In Canisius' first MAAC Cross Country Championship appearance in 1989, Chris Kane won the race, posting a time of 25:21.52 at Van Cortlandt Park. He was inducted into the Canisius Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. |
| Women |
| Mikelle Cala |
2010-13 |
| Maura Frauenhofer |
2007-10 |
| Siobhan Quinn |
2015-19 |
| Mary Beth Riley |
1989-91 |
Heather (Whalen) Appenheimer – 1989-91
Heather (Whalen) Appenheimer ran in three MAAC Cross Country Championship races from 1989-91, winning two titles and placing second in her senior year. She was a leading force in Canisius' back-to-back team titles in 1991 and 1992. She was inducted into the Canisius Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. |
| Fairfield University |
| Men |
| Sam Daly |
2013-16 |
| Ben Heslin |
2007-10 |
| Bryan Mahoney |
2001-04 |
| Howie Rosas |
2010-13 |
Ian MacNeill – 1993-96
Fairfield Hall of Famer Ian MacNeill was the Stags' top finisher at three MAAC Championships, including eighth place in 1995 and fifth place in 1996. Those two performances mark the best finishes by an individual Stag in MAAC Championship history, leading Fairfield to fourth place in both campaigns. |
| Women |
| Rachel Borek |
1995-98 |
| Maureen Crimmins |
2011-14 |
| Kristen Golen |
2008-11 |
| Erin Heslin |
1999-02 |
Fran Arthurs – 1991-94
Frances Arthurs posted back-to-back third place finishes at the MAAC Championship for the Stags in 1993 and 1994. She was named Fairfield's Female Athlete of the Year after her senior season and was inducted into the Fairfield Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000. Arthurs was also the first Stag to run a sub-20 minute 5K at Van Cortlandt Park. |
| Iona College |
| Men |
| Mohamed Khadraoui |
2005-09 |
| Leonard Korir |
2009-12 |
| Andrew Ledwith |
2005-09 |
| Ricardo Santos |
1996-00 |
Richard Kiplagat – 2002-06
Richard Kiplagat has one of, if not the most decorated career for a men’s cross country runner in Iona history. He is a three-time All-American and participated in the season’s culminating event, the NCAA Cross Country Championship, all four years he ran the trails.
As a rookie in 2002, his illustrious resume began with a second place finish at the Metropolitan Championships. Following that he placed 13th at Pre-Nationals, first at the MAAC Championship, second at the NCAA Northeast Regional, and 15th at the NCAA Championships. In his season country season Kiplagat won the Metropolitan Championship, the NCAA Northeast Regional while also finishing third at the Pre-National and 20th at the NCAA Championship.
The only season Kiplagat did not earn cross country All-American honors was in 2004 when he placed 45th at the finale meet. That same season he finished 24th at the Pre-National, second at the NCAA Northeast Regional and first at the MAAC Championship. Kiplagat re-cemented his elite footing in his final cross country campaign. The Maroon & Gold legend did not finish worse than runner-up in each of the five races he took part in. He won the Iona Meet of Champions, the MAAC Championship and the NCAA Northeast Regional. In Terre Haute, IN, Kiplagat earned silver placement at the Pre-Nationals meet in mid-October and at the NCAA Championship in late November.
Kiplagat is an honoree on the MAAC 40th Anniversary Celebration cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field teams. He earned 10 All-American honors during his tenure including three cross country, five on the indoor track and two on the outdoor track.
Outdoors, his All-American honors came as a freshman and senior. In 2003, he showed his versatility in the middle-distance events by finishing seventh overall in the NCAA Championship 1,500-meter event. In his last career event at Iona, he finished third in the NCAA 5k event.
On the indoor track, Kiplagat finished fourth in the NCAA Championship 5k in 2003 and improved to third in 2004. As a junior, he tackled the 3,000-meter event and finished fourth overall. As a senior in 2006, he won two All-American honors by finishing fourth again in the 3k and second in the 5k at the University of Arkansas. Kiplagat was also the first-ever Iona harrier to run a sub-four minute mile with his time of 3:57.40 at the 2006 NYC Gotham Cup. |
Coach Mick Byrne
Mick Byrne was head coach of the Iona College men's and women's cross country and track and field programs for 25 years. Byrne brought the program to unprecedented levels of success. His men's squad earned 17 consecutive MAAC championships, which has stretched to 29 straight years and remains the longest conference winning streak in the country.
Byrne is a six-time Northeast region coach of the year as the Gaels captured five of the last six regional titles. He led Iona to seven top 10 finishes at the NCAA Cross Country Championship. In four of his last five years the Gaels reached the championship podium as a top four finisher at the event. In 2007, the Maroon & Gold finished second at the national championship, the highest finish of any Iona or MAAC program in history.
In total, Byrne mentored 27 NCAA All-Americans, 29 IC4A Champions, 114 All-East selections, and 24 individual MAAC Cross Country Champions. |
| Women |
| Emmily Chelanga |
2003-06 |
| Tara Jameson |
2010-16 |
| Egle Morenaite |
2017-Pres. |
| McKayla Plank |
2005-08 |
Kate Avery – 2014-15
Kate Avery is the most decorated and successful cross country runner in Iona and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference history. During her junior 2014-15 season, she won the 2014 NCAA D1 Cross Country championship, becoming the Maroon & Gold’s first female NCAA Championship and first British woman to claim the NCAA D1 cross country title. She was named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association Player of the Year.
Avery never placed worse than ninth place in any cross country race she participated in as a Gael. She began winning the Meet of Championships Meet in 2013. Later in her rookie season she placed fourth in the Lehigh Paul Short Run and ninth in the Pre-National Invitational. She won placed first at the 2013 MAAC Championships, fifth in the NCAA Northeast Regional and third at the D1 championship. In 2014 she raced in just three races, all of which she won: the MAAC title, the Northeast Regional and the aforementioned NCAA Championship. |
Coach Ricardo Santos
Ricardo Santos was with Iona for nearly 10 years and established the women's cross country program as the MAAC's elite. The women's cross country program was nine MAAC championships, one NCAA Northeast Regional Championship and had a top-10 finish in the 2014 NCAA Championships, placing ninth.
He was named the MAAC cross country coach of the year 14 total times combining both men's and women's teams, and was named the women's coach of the year eight times in his nearly 10 seasons.
Santos coached Kate Avery, who won the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships Individual crown.
Santos continued the tradition that Mick Byrne began and was the bridge in the program's current streak of winning 14 of the last 15 MAAC Cross Country championships. |
| Manhattan College |
| Men |
| Conor Boyle |
1981-85 |
| Amir Khaghani |
2015-19 |
| Sean Lynch |
1994-98 |
| Matt Spring |
1999-02 |
Pat Petersen – 1980-82
Pat Petersen won Manhattan’s first individual MAAC Cross Country Championship in 1981. He qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships twice, and broke the 25-minute barrier at the Van Cortlandt Park cross country course 10 times. Petersen achieved a number one USA marathon ranking in 1987, and was ranked second in 1985 and 1989. |
| Women |
| Lisa Fajardo |
2015-19 |
| Kathy Giovanniello |
1983-87 |
| Petra Huetteman |
1988-92 |
| Edith Vilardi |
1985-89 |
Cheryl Simoni – 1984-88
Cheryl Simoni was Manhattan’s first MAAC Cross Country individual champion as a senior in 1988, and for 32 years she held the school’s fastest Van Cortlandt Park 5K time. A COSIDA Academic All-American, she was inducted into the Manhattan Hall of Fame in 2001. |
| Marist College |
| Men |
| Arquimedes Delacruz |
2009-12 |
| Matthew Flint |
2008-11 |
| Will Griffin |
2008-11 |
| Mike Melfi |
1997-98 |
Girma Segni – 2005-08
Girma Segni is the greatest male cross country runner in program history, holding the program record for the Van Cortlandt Park 8k at 25:01.4. He is one of just three Red Foxes to earn All-MAAC honors for all four years, and finished 10th, fourth, fifth and sixth at the MAAC Championships in order in his career. |
Coach Pete Colaizzo
Pete Colaizzo is approaching three decades of service as the head coach of Marist men's cross country, and is the only coach the Red Foxes have had in their 23 seasons in the MAAC. He has led the Red Foxes to 11 second-place finishes in the MAAC Championships, which have been captured by Iona for 29 straight years. Marist's second-place finishes are the most of any MAAC school in that span, and included an eight-year streak from 2005-12. Colaizzo was named MAAC Coach of the Year in 2015. |
| Women |
| Addie DiFranscesco |
2008-11 |
| Liza Grudzinski |
1999-02 |
| Gianna Tedeschi |
2017-Pres. |
| Kristen Traub |
2012-15 |
Michelle Gaye – 2012-15
Michelle Gaye is the most decorated runner in school history. She became the first runner in school history to earn four top-10 finishes at the MAAC Championships, with finishes of sixth, seventh, seventh and seventh. In 2014, she became the first female runner in school history to claim an individual ECAC Championship. That was one of three years she claimed All-ECAC honors, which she previously accomplished in 2011 and 2012. Gaye was also named MAAC Runner of the Week twice in her career.
Gaye also enjoyed success in both indoor and outdoor track & field. In addition to being a multiple school record holder, she became the first female athlete in school history to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Regional Championships (5,000 meters). |
Coach Phil Kelly
Phil Kelly served as Marist head coach for women's cross country/track & field for 18 years, including the Red Foxes' first 11 years in the MAAC (1997-2007). In this time, Kelly guided the Red Foxes to four MAAC championships, with three-straight from 1998-2000 and another title in 2004. Kelly coached Liza Grudzinski, who was the MAAC individual champion in both 1998 & 1999. In Kelly's tenure as head coach, the Red Foxes finished in the top half of the field (no lower than fifth) in every MAAC championship they competed in. |
| Monmouth University |
| Men |
| Khari Bowen |
2013-14 |
| Ryan Mitchell |
2016-19 |
Kyle Mueller – 2016-19
Kyle Mueller was a three-time All-MAAC selection and three-time All-East selection. He finished fourth at the 2018 MAAC Cross Country Championships and 12th at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals as a senior. His fourth-place finish is the highest for any Hawk since joining the MAAC and the highest non-Iona finisher since 2012. |
| Women |
Jenna Cupp – 2014-2017
Jenna Cupp was a two-time All-MAAC performer, All-East selection, and won the Monmouth XC Kickoff twice. |
| Niagara University |
| Men |
| Freddie Liederbach |
2012-15 |
| Mike Trendell |
2007-10 |
| Tyler Van Leeuwen |
2013-16 |
Nick Orlowski – 2011-15
Nick Orlowski was the number one scorer for the Purple Eagles in his final season on Monteagle Ridge. At the 2015 MAAC Championships, Orlowski broke his own previously held program record in the 8k with a time of 24:48.12. He is still NU's record holder in the 8k. |
| Women |
| Julie Dickhans |
2004-07 |
| Nora Klinowski |
2017-Pres. |
| Brianna Malanga |
2012-15 |
Kim Vona – 2010-13
Over the course of her for year career, Vona represented Niagara in 26 meets. In each of those 26 meets, Vona was the first Purple Eagle across the line, helping pace the team from her freshman year all the way through her captaincy as a senior. Her best finish at the MAAC Championships came in 2013, when she placed 10th overall, the best finish by a Niagara runner at the event in at least seven years. |
| Quinnipiac University |
| Men |
| Ryan Ansel |
2015-18 |
| Michael Kiernan |
2016-19 |
| Spencer Mannion |
2013-14 |
| Cameron Starr |
2018-Pres. |
Brendan Copley – 2012-16
Copley earned All-MAAC Team recognition all three years competing in the MAAC with three top-15 finishes in the MAAC Championships. He recorded a ninth-place finish in the 2016 MAAC Championships. He was a four-time member of the MAAC All-Academic Team and four-time MAAC Runner of the Week. |
| Women |
| Kaitlin Bakas |
2016-19 |
| Tracy Campbell |
2012-15 |
| Kaleigh Roberts |
2014-17 |
| Emily Wolff |
2014-17 |
Niamh Ashe – 2013-16
Ashe was a four-time All-MAAC Team member with four top-ten finishes at the MAAC Championships, including a second-place finish in 2015 when the Bobcats won the MAAC Championship. Her second-place finish in the MAAC Championship meet is the highest for any Bobcat. Ashe was a four-time MAAC Runner of the Week and two-time All-New England selection. She was also a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team member. |
Coach Carolyn Martin
Carolyn Martin has served as the Quinnipiac head coach for women's cross country/track & field for 11 years in 2020. Throughout the Bobcats' early years in the MAAC, Martin coached the team to two second-place finishes at the MAAC Championship two seasons in a row (2013, 2014) and a first-place finish at the championship meet in 2015. Martin has coached the Bobcats to a fourth-place finish or better every year since 2013. Martin also earned Coach of the Year honors in 2015. |
| Rider University |
| Men |
| Dave DeJong |
1998-01 |
| Christian Gonzalez |
2007-10 |
| Scott Keyser |
1998-01 |
| John Smith |
2004-07 |
Anthony Dentino – 2011-14
Dentino holds Rider's 5K record at Rosedale, 8K record at Princeton and 10K record at Penn State, is a three-time All-East performer and four-time All-MAAC honoree. As a senior in 2014, Dentino earned All-East by finishing 10th overall at IC4A Championships. He also finished 12th at MAAC Championships in a time of 25:31.29 to earn All-MAAC recognition. In 2013, Dentino was a medalist at the IC4As, placing 11th of 88 runners and earned All-MAAC honors when he placed seventh at the conference championships. He placed fifth at MAAC Championships at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, becoming the only non-Iona runner in the Top 10. Dentino covered the 8,000-meter course in 24:39.52. He also placed 13th at MAAC Championships as a Rider rookie. |
| Women |
| Nicolette Mateescu |
2012-15 |
| Megan McGarrity |
2013-16 |
| Megan Elgin |
2009-12 |
| Emily Ritter |
2011-15 |
Ulrike Bromme – 1998-01
Bromme finished fifth at MAAC Championships in 2000 in a time of 18:30.30 to earn All-MAAC honors, a year before finishing ninth on the 3.1-mile course in 19:35.50. She finished 92nd of 169 runners at NCAA Regional Championships in 2000, before finishing 100th of 180 runners as a senior in 2001. She also graduated with the Broncs’ indoor mile (5:18.13), two-mile (11:44.64), 3000m (10:37.04), 5000m (18:47.51), DMR and 4x800 records, as well as the outdoor records in the 3000m (10:43.24), 5000m (18:22.35) and DMR. |
| Saint Peter’s University |
| Men |
| George De La Vega |
1981-85 |
| Sylvester Inda |
2012 |
| Mohamed Merdan |
2011-15 |
| Edwin Young |
2011-12 |
Matt Hogan – 1986-90
Matt Hogan holds the Saint Peter's school record in the 3,000m race and was a member of the cross country and track programs from 1986-1990. He was enshrined in the Saint Peter's University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997. |
| Women |
| Devon Carman |
2012-13 |
| Jaleesa Dunlap |
2009-12 |
| Shona Potrzuski |
2010-14 |
| Lisa Giaconia Smith |
1993-97 |
Katie Kopacz – 2000-01
Katie Kopacz won back-to-back MAAC cross country championships in the early 2000s, winning in 2000 and again in 2001 and was named Most Outstanding Female Runner in both races. Her 5K time of 17:07.10 from the 2000 season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports - Lake Buena Vista course is still the fastest at that course in MAAC history, while her 5K time of 18:07.48 at Van Cordlandt Park is the second-fastest at that venue in league history. She broke the existing MAAC women’s record by almost 31 seconds in 2000 seconds and she beat her nearest competitor in that race by about 48 seconds. She is a 2007 SPU Athletics HOF inductee. |
| Siena College |
| Men |
| Stosh Davis |
2016-Pres. |
| Aidan Gillooley |
2019-Pres. |
| Nick Miller |
2012-16 |
| Will Randall |
2015-19 |
Evans Kibet – 2016-20
One of the most prolific cross country runners in program history, Kibet holds the program record in the Men's 8k, and was a four-time All-MAAC finisher at the MAAC Cross Country Championships. He earned MAAC Male Runner of the Week honors four times, and ran the program's fastest time ever at the NCAA Northeast Regional XC Championships in 2019. |
| Women |
| Shannon Bauer |
2013-18 |
| Olivia Lomascolo |
2018-Pres. |
| Kim Milton |
1999-03 |
| Monica Strain |
2017-Pres. |
Sarah Forman – 2015-19
A three-time All-MAAC finisher in the MAAC Cross Country Championships, Forman ran three of the programs fastest 5k times and the second and fifth fastest 6k marks. She ran the program's three fastest times at the NCAA Northeast Regional XC Championships, including a program-best 67th place finish in 2017. |
Coach John Kenworthy
Coach John Kenworthy has been at the helm of the Siena cross country squad since 2013 and led the Saints through the reinstatements of the track and field programs in 2015. Under his direction, the Saints posted top-3 team finishes at the 2018 and 2019 MAAC Cross Country Championships. Kenworthy is also responsible for coaching Sarah Forman to become the program's first MAAC Individual Indoor and Outdoor Champion and Evans Kibet to become the first Saint since the 1980's to qualify individually for an NCAA Outdoor Track Zone Regional. |
| Former Members |
| Men |
| Pat Lavery, Fordham |
| Women |
| Theresa Sobiesk, Army |
| Andrea Rovegno, Loyola |
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) celebrates its 40
th year of competition during the 2020-21 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.