EDISON, NJ (Oct. 26, 2023) – The 2023 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Fall Championship season officially begins this weekend on Saturday, October 28 with the cross country championships. The 2023 MAAC Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Championships will be held at Twin Ponds on the Farm in Montgomery, New York with Manhattan College serving as the host. Saturday’s meet will be the first time the MAAC championships are held at Twin Ponds on the Farm, and it will mark the 29th time Manhattan has hosted the cross country championship races.
Championship Saturday will begin with the women’s 6k race at 11:00 a.m. Preseason favorite and defending MAAC champion, Quinnipiac University will be seeking its third conference title in program history after securing the 2022 women’s crown. The Bobcats are led by a trio of top-five finishers from a season ago in Emily Young (runner-up), Liv DiStefano (bronze medalist) and 2022 MAAC Women’s Cross Country Rookie of the Year, Rachel St. Germain (5
th). Also joining the trio as All-MAAC selections from Quinnipiac are Alessandra Zaffina (7
th) and Corinne Barney (9
th). Iona University was slotted second in the preseason and are seeking its seventh championship crown since 2016 and 18th overall title dating back to 2001. Tayla Gunton (6
th), Madison Klein (12
th), and Cara Du Preez (14
th) are the Gaels top returners, after the trio each earned All-MAAC honors in 2022. Another key runner to keep an eye on for the women include Samantha Kehler from Marist who grabbed the final All-MAAC spot with a 15
th place finish at the 2022 meet.
The men’s 8k race follows with a 12:00 p.m. start. 32-time defending champion Iona University, will look to continue its three-decade reign at the championship and extend its NCAA record to 33 consecutive MAAC crowns. The Gaels have secured the MAAC trophy every season dating back 1991 and the program has claimed a MAAC-leading 37 total men’s titles since the inaugural MAAC championship in 1981. Iona is led by defending MAAC Individual Champion and Most Outstanding Runner, Joshua DeSouza. DeSouza will be joined by his teammates and returning All-MAAC honorees, Damien Dilcher (runner-up), Jonathan DeSouza (3
rd), Lachlan Wellington (5
th), Mael Gouyette (6
th), Nick Soldevere (7
th), and Campbell Lee (8
th). Also returning for the Gaels is 2022 MAAC Men’s Cross Country Rookie of the Year Tadhg Donnelly. Siena College will look to challenge Iona for the second straight season following a second-place finish at the 2022 championship. The Saints have a pair of returning All-MAAC members in Aidan Gillooley and Tommy Anderson, who placed 12
th and 15
th in 2022, respectively. Additional key runners to watch for on the men’s side are returning All-MAAC selections in Canisius’ Tom Appenheimer (10
th), and Rider’s Tamrat Snyder (13
th).
For all information regarding the 2023 MAAC Men's & Women’s Cross Country Championships, please visit
maacsports.com/xc.
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) is in its 43rd year of competition during the 2023-24 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College. Merrimack College and Sacred Heart University will join the MAAC as full members in the 2024-25 academic year, expanding the conference to 13 institutions.
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