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(09/09/15 9:59pm)
By George Tatoris Staff Writer
The men’s and women’s cross country teams had an exemplary weekend at the annual Blue/Gold Invitational this Saturday, Sept. 5, at Rosedale Park in Hopewell, N.J.
At the invitational, the Lions split into blue and gold teams and ran a friendly 5k against their teammates and two Division I competitors — Rider University and St. Joseph’s University. Alumni of the College also attended and formed a team of their own.
“This is one of the opportunities where the alumni and current athletes are together, and I know everyone enjoys reconnecting and seeing where alumni are now,” senior Roberto Guiducci said.
In the men’s race, a pack of six Lions dominated the top 10.
Junior Andrew Tedeschi finished first in the men’s race, with a blazing finishing time of 15:20, seven seconds ahead of the second place runner.
“I owe it to my coaches and my teammates,” Tedeschi said.
Sophomore Dale Johnson took third with a time of 15:32 — just five seconds behind a competitor from St. Joseph’s.
Just four seconds behind Johnson, senior Tyler Grimm finished fourth with a time of 15:36.
Guiducci and senior Scott Savage finished in tandem, taking seventh with a time of 15:43 and eighth with a time of 15:44, respectively.
“There wasn’t a time in the race where we were more than 10 meters apart,” Guiducci said. “Whenever I was losing focus, we would wake me up and get moving and I did the same to him.”
Guiducci said that his and Savage’s synergy could be a “scary combo” in a longer race like the 8k.
Rounding out the top 10 was senior Jon Stouber, who took 10th with a time of 15:47.
“We all knew that we were in great shape going into it, and that we could get the win, but we ran really fast,” senior Roberto Guiducci said. “A lot of times ran today were close to personal bests set on the track.”
The women’s team flaunted two talented up-and-comers at Saturday’s meet as two freshmen finished in the top 10. Madeline Tattory placed fifth with a time of 18:49 and Erin Holzbaur placed seventh with a time of 18:53.
In a time trial held before classes started, Holzbaur had the fastest time on the women’s team.
After her swift time at the time trial, Holzbaur was modest.
“I guess all of my training paid off,” she said.
Before the invitational, Holzbaur told The Signal she was “really excited to see where I’m at.”
Behind Holzbaur, senior Marissa Lerit took 11th with a time of 19:12.
Junior Laura Straub and freshman Emma Bean finished 13th and 14th, respectively, within three seconds of one another. Straub finished the course in 19:16 while Bean had a time of 19:19.
Both teams will head to White Clay Creek State Park Saturday, Sept. 12, for the University of Delaware Invitational.
(08/25/15 9:21pm)
By George Tatoris Staff Writer
Last year, the men’s and women’s cross country teams dominated their competition in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, but were unable to secure a spot to nationals after the women’s team took 10th place and the men took 13th in the Division III Atlantic Regionals.
At regionals, only the top two teams receive automatic bids to nationals.
The top runner in the women’s race that day was then-senior Megan Stack, who placed 23rd with a time of 22:35.9, nearly 20 seconds faster than what she placed a week before at NJACs, where she earned third place overall.
Last year’s regionals saw junior Andrew Tedeschi place the highest in the men’s race at 23rd place with a time of 25:47.7, improving on his NJAC time of 26:44.14, which earned him ninth overall.
Despite the effort and improvement, it was not enough to go toe to toe with the nation’s toughest cross country teams.
Stack is one of many talented teammates who graduated the previous semester, a list which includes Tara Nealon and Jeremy Garrell, who coach Justin Lindsey called “strong leaders.”
Coming back, the cross country team is looking positive.
“I really feel not going to nationals last year has really motivated everyone to work extra hard this year and that hard work is definitely paying off,” junior Brandon Mazzarella said.
The men’s and women’s teams are both returning NJAC champions — the men’s team with a 21-year streak holding the title.
After a summer’s worth of training, cross country is ready to go at it again this year.
Each runner was given a training regimen this summer based on what they needed to improve, and it looks like they’ve been doing their homework.
“Both teams should have a significant chance” of getting to nationals, Lindsey said.
At a time trial held this week, the top five runners on the men’s team finished faster than last year’s fastest time.
At the head of the mens team’s pack was Tedeschi, who Lindsey said has the potential to be a leader this season along with seniors Scott Savage, Roberto Guiducci and Tyler Grimm.
Tedeschi praised sophomore Connor McMahon’s performance at the time trial, saying he almost beat his personal best time in the 5k.
“McMahon ran an excellent time trial,” Tedeschi said.
The women’s team saw freshman Erin Holzbur lead the pack by three-quarters of a second, showing promise for the upcoming freshmen.
“They look strong and excited. I think all of the freshmen will make great contributions to the team,” Tedeschi said. “They worked hard over the summer to put themselves in great shape. I’m excited to see how they handle the 8k and the tough training college brings.”
According to Tedeschi, the team’s mileage — how many miles the team runs per week — increased “exponentially” over the summer.
“Everyone seems to be faster than they were last year and it’s going to make it real hard to take us down this year,” Mazzarella said. “We are all focused on going to nationals and we are counting on each other to continue working hard until that point in the season.”
(05/06/15 9:40pm)
By George Tatoris
Staff Writer
After just seven days of holding the College’s hammer throw record, senior Joan Hales lost it — to herself.
“It wasn’t anything spectacular, again,” Hales said.
On Saturday, April 25, at the Lions’ Invitational, perhaps the largest track event hosted by the College, Hales posted a distance of 47.26 meters, a little less than a half of a meter farther than her distance of 46.82 meters posted last week. The distance netted Hales a third place overall finish and a first-place finish among Division-III athletes.
Last week, the athlete had stated she did not know the throw had broken a record because she said the form was not what it could’ve been.
Evidently, she’s improved that.
One of the factors Hales said led to the improved distance was being able to get across the circle that she throws the hammer from “smoother.”
Hales says that even this week’s record-breaker was not perfect and that she still can improve a great deal.
“But I’m kind of happy about that, because that means I could do so much better once I straighten it all out,” Hales said.
Two other seniors, Michelle Cascio and Katelyn Ary, also gave spectacular performances. Cascio finished first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.27, while Ary blazed through the 400-meter hurdles into first with a time of 1:02.32.
Cascio also finished second in the 400-meter, posting a season-best time of 56.69. Fellow senior Joy Spriggs was mere fractions of a second behind, posting a time of 57.45 for a fourth place finish.
In long distance, fellow senior Megan Stack took fourth, posting a time of 4:43.07, the second fastest Division-III finish out on the track.
On the field, senior Bridgit Roemer placed third in the high jump with a height of 1.62 meters and third in the long jump with a distance of 5.29 meters. Meanwhile, freshman Chloe Yelle took seventh in discus with a distance of 37.47 meters.
On the men’s team, the star of the meet was freshman Dale Johnson, whose stringent efforts in the 1,500-meter roped him a third place finish with a time of 4:00.26, a personal record. Just behind in sixth, senior Jeremy Garrell posted a time of 4:03.72, and in 11th, junior Roberto Guiducci posted a time of 4:06.91.
“Going out as fast as he did really tired him out, and most people would not have been able to finish the race, let alone PR, which he did,” sophomore Brandon Mazzarella said of Johnson.
Mazzarella also ran a solid race in the 800-meter, finishing in seventh with a time of 1:56.34.
On the field, senior Juan Giglio was the top Division-III athlete in the pole vault, clearing a height of 4.50 meters. Giglio was third overall.
In the discus throw, senior Abayomi Arowolo set a personal record in his final Lions’ Invitational, throwing the discus 44.57 meters for a seventh-place finish.
The Lions’ Invitational is the largest meet hosted by the College — more than 1,000 athletes from over 50 institutions attended this weekend’s meet. The audience was even larger.
“The bleachers are filled, and there are people on top of the parking garage looking down cheering everyone on,” Mazzarella said.
(05/06/15 8:48pm)
By George Tatoris
Staff Writer
A College championship streak and a near-streak were ended in Mahwah this weekend as the men’s and women’s outdoor track teams both took second place in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships — a meet that the women’s team had won last year, and the men’s team had won for 17 consecutive years.
The women’s team amassed a total of 183 points while the men’s team garnered 158.50 points. Both lost to Rowan University.
The men’s team obtained 20 of the 158.50 in the steeplechase event. Junior Scott Savage and senior Jeremy Garrell led the pack, racing to a tandem finish in second and third with finishing times of 9:28.78 and 9:31.59.
Senior Patrick Waite and juniors Andrew DeMaria and Roberto Guiducci also scored, finishing sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively. The steeplechase is the only race to involve both barriers and water pits.
The steeplechase stems from an old Irish horse race in which participants would start at one town’s steeple and finish at the steeple of the next town. In between it was common to race through streams and over walls. Nowadays those streams and walls are replaced by barriers and water pits.
In the 10K, three Lions, junior Tyler Grimm, sophomore Andrew Tedeschi and freshman Conor McMahon finished second, third and sixth, respectively, garnering 16 points for the College. The trio clocked times of 32:47.45, 33:00.80 and 35:01.79.
Tedeschi took second in the 5,000-meter, as well, posting a time of 15:16.08.
The top sprinter among the Lions was junior Jake Lindacher, who took second in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.10.
On the field, senior Juan Giglio finished second in the pole vault, registering a height of 4.20 meters and earning the College eight points.
The effort was strong but not strong enough to tack another win at the end of the outdoor track team’s 17-year NJAC streak.
The women’s team saw their best performance in the 400-meter dash — in that race seniors Katelyn Ary, Michelle Cascio and Joy Spriggs finished second, third and fourth, respectively, and earned the College 19 points in the process. Ary had a finishing time of 56.80, Cascio was a tenth of a second behind at 56.81 and Spriggs finished at 57.42.
“I thought everyone competed and gave their all,” Spriggs said.
Another trio roped in points in the steeplechase. Sophomore Laura Straub, senior Alyssa Silver and junior Kayla Glynn finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively, with times of 11:54.96, 12:11.99 and 12:19.79.
In the 10,000 meter event, senior Jillian Manzo finished fourth with a time of 18:50.58.
On the field, senior Brigit Roemer and junior Courtney Paciulli won the College 13 of its 183 points in the long jump — Roemer was runner-up with a top distance of 5.19 meters while Paciulli was fourth at a distance of 5.10 meters.
These strong performances were not enough to retake the championship title the women’s team had won last year. They simply could not beat first place Rowan, who had a strong meet this weekend.
“We did everything we could and sometimes things just do not work out in your favor,” Spriggs said.
(04/22/15 9:10pm)
By George Tatoris
Staff Writer
Senior Joan Hales broke the College’s record in the hammer throw on Saturday, April 18, at Moravian College’s Greyhound Invitational, and she didn’t quite know how to respond.
“It was definitely a little surreal when my event coach told me I broke the record, and I was speechless at first,” Hales said.
Hales had a few throws left, and like all athletes, she hoped she would be able to throw better each time. In fact, she didn’t even think the record breaking throw was “technically sound” because she didn’t follow through.
Despite this, the 46.82 meter throw overtook a toss by Sarah Wehrhan ’10, Hales’ former throwing coach, by almost two meters.
“I don’t feel any different really, but it’s humbling knowing that it was previously held by my former coach, especially since I respect her so much as an athlete,” Hales said. The throw landed Hales in second place.
Senior Joy Spriggs finished fourth in the 400-meter race with a time of 56.43, which was the College’s fourth fastest time in that race since 2000.
In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, sophomore Lauren Straub beat 20 other runners to come in first with a time of 11:39.25. In the same race, senior Alyssa Silver placed seventh, crossing the finish line at 12:24.47.
Senior Jeremy Garrell also enjoyed a successful opener in the steeplechase, earning fourth place with a time of 9:41.58.
Garrell called the steeplechase “unique” due to its implementation of water pits along the track and because it was based off of a race originally designed for horses.
“It is important to run the race controlled in the beginning and just try to hang on after the first mile,” Garrell said.
Junior Tyler Grimm gave a top performance in the 5,000-meter — his finishing time of 15:31.53 gave him both a new personal record and a second place finish.
Soon after Grimm crossed the finish, senior Andrew Wilson and junior Jonathan Stouber took fourth and seventh, respectively, with times of 15:34.33 and 15:40.77.
Freshman Dale Johnson performed admirably as well in the 1,500-meter — Johnson took fourth with a time of 4:01.00.
A number of Lions also partook in the Princeton-hosted Larry Ellis Invitational on Friday, April 17.
Senior Katelyn Ary was the second fastest Division III athlete on the track for the 800-meter event with a time of 2:12.12. The finish roped her in 25th place overall and was an ECAC qualifier.
On the men’s side, junior Scott Savage was the fourth-fastest Division III athlete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:20.55. He was the 24th fastest overall on the track that day.
Hales’s feat on the field at Moravian College caught the attention of her hometown as well as around campus.
“It’s a little crazy with the amount of people from high school and back home who saw the article (on tcnjathletics.com) and reached out to congratulate me, and the number of people on campus who have reached out is so nice,” Hales said.
(04/15/15 4:20am)
By George Tatoris
Staff Writer
For five straight weekends, the College track and field team has competed out-of-state — in New York, Florida and Virginia — but they returned to Ewing on Saturday, April 11, for their first home meet of the spring season.
The College of New Jersey Tri Meet, so called because its competitors are all from the Tri-State area, saw both the men’s and women’s teams sweep their competition. The men had 261 points, and the women piled up 249 points, more than twice the total of the second place team.
Sophomore Brandon Mazzarella was happy to be able to cut out public transportation from his meet day.
“You wake up in the morning, and you’re already at the meet,” Mazzarella said of the comfort of being home. “When the meet’s over, you don’t have to think about or endure a long bus ride home which is one of the greatest feelings.”
Mazzarella was first in his event, the 1,500 meter, with a time of 4:07.33. Just behind, junior Roberto Guiducci took third with a time of 4:09.67. During the race, Mazzarella said he ran with his teammates — Guiducci included — for the first half of the race before taking the lead in the second half.
Mazzarella was just one of many successes that day. Senior Michelle Cascio gave amazing performances in two events — she won the 200 and 400-meter races with times of 25.16 and 57.99, respectively.
Senior Abayomi Arowolo had breakthrough performances in three events. He won the hammer throw with a toss of 51.53 meters and the discus throw with a sling of 42.74 meters. His toss of 13.19 meters in the shot put placed him in second.
Both teams saw a one-two finish in the 3,000-meter event. Senior Jillian Manzo and sophomore Andrew Tedeschi took first in their own 3,000-meter with times of 11:08.01 and 8:52.57 respectively. Soon after, sophomore Lara Straub and junior Scott Savage took second in their respective races with times of 11:16.39 and 8:57.30.
In the 400-meter hurdles, senior Katelyn Ary, who was one of six Lions to go to Nationals for winter track in New York, toppled her competition with a season best time of 1:03.98. One benefit of a home meet, according to Ary, was the support from the College community.
“It was so great to run at our home track because of the support that the TCNJ community provides,” Ary said.
Mazzarella expressed similar sentiments.
“My parents and friends were able to come support and witness another day at the Oval Office,” Mazzarella said.
Ary wasn’t the only Lion to get a season best at the home meet — according to Ary, a plethora of Lions were able to beat season and even personal records.
Senior Joan Hales also had a season-best performance in the hammer throw with a distance of 43.84 meters. The effort placed her in first.
Senior Juan Giglio had his season best at the meet as his 4.40 meter height in the pole vault earned him first place.
This success follows five grueling weekends on the road.
“Traveling is fun, but there is nothing like our home track,” Ary said.
(04/10/15 4:17am)
By George Tatoris
Staff Writer
The outdoor track team took on some of their stiffest competition yet this season in the Colonial Relays this weekend, hosted at William & Mary College in Virginia. The Lions held their own against a number of Division I schools in the event.
The men’s team fared well in the middle and long distance events, with sophomore Andrew Tedeschi finishing fourth with a time of 15:20.28 in the 5000-meter event, besting a number of runners from Division I schools.
Rounding out the distance runners was junior Scott Savage placing 18th in the 3000-steeplechase with a time of 9:41.28 and junior Tyler Grimm who finished 21st in the 10,000-meter event with a time of 32:55.29.
The team also found success in the hurdles. In the 400-meter hurdles, junior Laron Day took 26th with a time of 56.80. Just behind him was fellow junior Mike Larkin, who finished 30th with a time of 57.07.
Junior sprinter Jake Lindacher finished 28th in two events — the 100-meter dash, which he finished with a time of 11.23 and the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.36. Sophomore Zach Hubner was just behind Lindacher in the 100-meter dash, finishing 35th with a time of 11.33.
In the field events, freshman Andrew McNutt finished 13th in the triple jump with his longest distance being 13.20 meters.
The women’s team also saw plenty of successes on the track. Senior Katelyn Ary, who has been named NJAC Athlete of the Week in women’s outdoor track and field, finished sixth in the 400-meter dash posting a time of 57.42. The effort earned the College four points.
Fellow senior Michelle Cascio also ran to an impressive finish in the 400-meter, clocking in 11th with a time of 57.81.
In the 5,000-meter event senior Jillian Manzo placed eighth with a finishing time of 18:46.10.
In the 400-meter hurdles, Ary placed 16th out of 65 runners finishing with a time of 1:04.17. She ran that race with freshman Cristina Nardini, who clocked in 1:08.50, to place 50th.
Cascio also ran in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.09, placing her in 17th overall. Senior Joy Spriggs also ran the 200-meter dash and placed 60th with a time of 26.37.
Ary, Cascio and Spriggs were joined by freshman Amanda Cucarese in the 4x400 meter relay, which saw the quartet finish 10th with a time of 3:55.43. Ary, Cascio and Spriggs were a part of the 4x400 indoor relay team that earned All-American honors two weeks ago at the NCAA Championships.
Seniors Liz Johnson and Megan Stack, sophomore Laura Straub and freshman Allison Fournier competed in the 4x1,500 relay where the Lions also took 10th. The ensemble posted a total time of 20:27.87.
On Saturday April 11, the Lions will return to their Jersey turf to compete in The College of New Jersey Tri Meet.
(03/26/15 3:33pm)
By George Tatoris
Staff Writer
The track team sent six athletes down south to North Carolina to compete in the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday, March 13, to Saturday, March 14, the second largest group that Head Coach Justin Lindsey has seen in his time working for the College.
The women’s relay team finished seventh with a time of 3:53.29, a second faster than their seed time. The effort earned the team All-American honors.
For the relay team, comprised of seniors Joy Spriggs, Michelle Cascio and Katelyn Ary, junior Kristen Randolph and freshman Emily Mead as an alternate, this achievement is the apogee of an already exceptional indoor season. Randolph, who ran the third leg of the race, attributed the success to the focus and determination of the team.
“The four of us truly had our eyes on achieving this since the start of our training in the fall, which certainly kept us focused on the goal through the ups and downs of the season,” Randolph said.
She also mentioned the “strong connection” between the team’s members.
“Most of all we believed in ourselves and weren’t intimidated by the level of competition,” Randolph said.
And what a competition it was. Spriggs was cut off as she was handing the baton to Cascio during her leg of the race — the first — by a runner from Washington University, resulting in the disqualification of that school.
“I was very upset, but in the end, we became All-Americans,” Spriggs said.
Spriggs also finished 16th with a time of 60.84 seconds in the 400-meter event. Spriggs concedes that this was not her best time, but also knew it would be a tough race because she was coming off of an injury.
“I was honestly just happy that I made it into the 400,” Spriggs said.
Ary also ran in her own event, the 800-meters. She finished 13th with a time of 2:14.94. Ary may have been disappointed by her performance, stating that she did not do “as well as (she) hoped,” but she remained ecstatic over her team’s performance in the relay.
“Standing on that podium with the three of them was such a dream,” Ary said.
Junior Jake Lindacher, the only participant from the men’s team, finished 13th in his event, the 60-meter hurdles, with a time of 8.35 seconds.
Lindacher was also disappointed with his performance. The junior had earned All-American honors in his first outing at the NCAAs last year, having placed eighth in the 60-meter high hurdles with a time of 9.15 seconds, but failed to qualify this year.
Lindacher attributes his disappointing finish to a slow start and having been off-balance during the first two hurdles. He maintains that, with the amount his technique has improved over the past year, he should have done better.
“If I ran what I was capable of, I would’ve placed much higher,” Lindacher said.
Despite the lackluster finish to the indoor season, Lindacher was excited to start the outdoor season, which started on Friday, March 20, at the University of Miami’s Hurricane Invitational.
Senior Erik Moutenot and juniors Laron Day and Michael Larkin finished second, third and fifth, respectively, with times of 55:07 for Moutenot, 55.18 for Day and 55.75 for Larkin.
The long-distance runners fared well in the 1500-meter event, as well. Sophomore Brandon Mazzarella finished third with a time of 4:00.16, and junior Dale Johnson was right behind him at 4:01.39.
In the 400-meter race, Ary finished sixth at 57.06, and Spriggs finished in eighth at 58.57, surpassing even Division I runners.
On the field, sophomore Tracy Prentice landed fifth in the pole vault with a height of 3.00 meters, and junior Courtney Paciuli finished eighth in the long jump with a distance of 4.79 meters.
(03/26/15 3:30pm)
By George Tatoris
Staff Writer
On Sunday, March 22, Alcalá de Henares, a medium-sized city situated in the community of Madrid, was unusually desolate at 8:50 p.m. The few people on the sidewalks seemed to be in a rush — the kind of rush during which someone looks for shelter after a sudden tornado warning in, checking the windows of every bar they passed, each one fuller than the last. The only people that could be heard were sitting on patios speaking in a hushed, nervous chatter, their eyes glued to a flat screen television that faced outside. It was the night of El Clásico. And this was the calm before the storm.
While the game went on, the streets were empty except for crowds of two or three people huddled outside bars, peeping at the game through the window. Only the distant echo of cheers on television sets could be heard on the streets.
To understand why a sports rivalry can render a bustling city like Alcalá, a ghost town, one must first look at the history of Spain. Don’t worry, I’ll make this brief. In fact, I won’t even start from the beginning.
Barcelona, a part of the culturally distinct Catalonia, and Madrid, where the royal crown resides, have always had a spotty history with each other, and things escalated with the War of Spanish Succession. What happened was, the king of Spain died without an heir, and a fight broke out over which family would get control of the kingdom: the Hapsburgs or the Bourbons.
Madrid supported the Bourbons and Catalonia supported the Hapsburgs. The Hapsburgs lost and the royal family in Madrid decided to punish Barcelona for betraying them by stripping them of almost all of their independence.
Thus began the hate-hate relationship between Madrid and Barcelona, and what a relationship it’s become. Even now Catalonians want sovereignty from Spain. Just last year the territory held an illegal referendum (which FC Barcelona supported) on the issue. Gives the common Barça chant “Independencia!” a whole new meaning, no?
Now, I’m not saying that Real Madrid fans want to rob Barça fans of their independence or Barça fans want to assassinate Spanish royalty in the name of their respective teams. What I am saying is that El Clásico is just one piece of the complicated puzzle that is Spain — a country so small that things like soccer, politics and history end up fumbling over one another like one massive game of Twister.
El Clásico is not just a sports rivalry. It isn’t a Yankees vs. Red Sox type of deal. It’s something that could only have come from Spain.
(03/11/15 6:31pm)
By George Tatoris
Staff Writer
The distance medley relay is an unusual race. Each leg is a different length, making it the only track event in which long distance runners and sprinters compete together.
The College’s women’s track team won the event at the ECAC Championships on Saturday, March 7 through Sunday, March 8.
“Overall, we ran 11:59, which was our fastest time of the season,” senior Megan Stack said.
Senior Michelle Cascio also said she enjoyed the distinct change of pace between her leg, the 400-meter, and the former leg of the race, the 1200-meter run by freshman Allison Fournier.
When Fournier handed the baton to Cascio, the College was in fifth.
But when Cascio handed the baton to senior Katelyn Ary for the 800-meter leg, the College was in third.
Ary’s race put the College in first, allowing Stack to anchor the race with the 1,600-meter.
Stack held out and crossed the finish in first out of 20 teams.
“Overall we ran 11:59, which was our fastest time of the season,” Stack said.
“The mix of distance runners and sprinters in this race is really special because almost everything else we do is separate,” Cascio said.
Overall, the women’s team ranked 14th in the meet and the men’s team placed 26th.
The distance medley was hosted on the first day of the meet. However, the second day saw a riveting performance by Ary in the 500-meters, where she was just a tenth of a second shy of claiming first in the event.
“It was such a blessing that my last meet at the New York Armory was a strong race,” Ary said.
Her 1:14.68 finish earned her second place and a school record. The time also topped the meet record for the event, but that victory was negated by Sasa Vann of Buffalo State, who finished first in the event.
In the mile, Stack finished 11th with a time of 5:10.64, and on the field, senior Joan Hales finished the weight throw in 15th with a toss of 14.70 meters.
The men’s team started off strongly on the first day, with junior Jake Lindacher advancing to the championship race of his event, the 60-meter high hurdles, and fellow junior Jonathan Stouber taking sixth in the longest race, the 5,000 meters, with a time of 15:09.96.
On the field, senior Juan Giglio took 14th in the pole vault with a height of 4.37 meters.
The highlight for the men on the second day, was the championship race of the 60-meter high hurdles, where Lindacher took fourth with a time of 8.294 seconds.
“The time wasn’t exactly where I wanted it,” said Lindacher, who would’ve preferred a time under 8.20. “But it was good to see competition that I’ll see this week at nationals.”
On the same day, freshman Dale Johnson took seventh in the mile with a time of 4:20.28.
Senior Erik Moutenot took 20th with a time of 1:07.64 in the 500-meter dash, and sophomore Zach Hubner took 27th in the 60-meter dash at 7.181 seconds.
As the NCAA championship meet rapidly approaches, the track team is excited to compete at a national level.
“We are all ready and have been preparing for this for months,” Ary said.
(03/04/15 11:03pm)
By George Tatoris
Staff Writer
With around 300 meters left in the 800 meter event, sophomore Brandon Mazzarella was convinced he would win — but two Ramapo runners blazed past him.
“My arms and legs were just dead, and I had nothing left in them. It was a very strange sensation,” said Mazzarella, who wound up finishing fourth just behind a Stockton runner.
The NJAC were steeped in competition this year, according to Mazzarella. He pointed out how, last year, he won the 800 meters with a time of 1:56, but this year he barely came in fourth with his 1:55.
The stark competition this year resulted in a third-place finish for the men with a total of 141.5 points behind Ramapo and Rowan, ending the Lions’ 17-year reign over the NJAC. The women came in second out of nine with 174 points, just behind Rowan.
“Our team is obviously disappointed with the overall performance at the NJAC meet, but I believe this loss will motivate us to improve going into the last couple weeks of the indoor season,” senior Erik Moutenot said.
Despite the end of the streak, many Lions had great performances.
Junior Jake Lindacher set an NJAC record and reclaimed his conference championship title with his performance in the 60-meter high hurdles, clocking in at a swift 8.28 seconds.
In the pole vault, senior Juan Giglio became the second two-time conference champion, clearing the pole at a height of 4.65 meters.
The Lions also won the 4x800 relay, which saw sophomores Alex Cary and Ed Bohi, junior Roberto Guiducci and freshman Dale Johnson finishing with a combined time of 7:55.91.
Many Lions secured new personal records that day, as well.
“The girls’ team showed up and never stopped fighting,” senior Katelyn Ary said. “Even though we didn’t come out with the win, there were many incredible performances.”
Senior Michelle Cascio took first in both the 400 and the 200 meters with times of 58.53 seconds and 25.49 seconds, respectively, earning new personal bests for Cascio.
Cascio debated whether or not to run again after she tweaked her hamstring in the trial of the 60-meter dash — she eventually ran the 400 meters to see what would happen. Cascio was nervous because there was only one event in between the 400 meters and 200 meters.
“I’m happy I did it ... I was able to get another win, and the points we needed,” Cascio said.
Three Lions in the mile also ran personal bests. Senior Megan Stack finished first with a time of 5:02.38. Freshman Allison Fournier and junior Kayla Glynn came home with their best times, as well.
“We were motivated to put in our best effort after watching how well our teammates had been performing in previous events,” Stack said.
Ary also finished first in her event, the 800 meters, with a time of 2:12.51.
In the triple jump, junior Courtney Paciulli leaped into first with a distance of 11.30 meters.
Coach Justin Lindsey said he hopes the third place finish acts as a “wake-up call” for the guys.
“We will regroup and reclaim the titles outdoors,” Lindsey said.
(02/25/15 7:44pm)
By George Tatoris
Staff Writer
The winter track team had a great showing last week at the Princeton Invitational on Sunday, Feb. 22, and at Ramapo’s Roadrunner Tune-Up at the New York Armory on Friday, Feb. 20, as they continue to push into Championship season.
The women’s team took second out of 23 teams in the Roadrunner Tune-Up while the men took fourth.
One of the big successes at the Princeton Invitational came from the 4x400 relay team, comprised of seniors Joy Spriggs, Katelyn Ary, Michelle Cascio and junior Kristen Randolph. Their combined time of 3:54.29 not only earned them a second place slot, but also pushed them up to the third best Division III time for that event this season.
“Our women’s 4x4 went into the meet prepared to move up on the Nationals list. We were all focused on the same goal and ran our fastest time this season,” Ary said.
At the same meet, Cascio ran two more impressive races— in the 200 meters she took fourth in 25.65 seconds and in the 60 meters she took ninth with 8.02 seconds, the fastest of any Division III runner in that event that day. Senior Megan Stack took third in the mile with a time of 5:06.81.
On the men’s side of things, junior Jake Lindacher took first in the 60-meter high hurdles with a time of 8.43 seconds, an ECAC qualifying cut.
The men’s relay also found success on the track in the 4x400 event, as sophomores Brandon Mazzarella and Zach Hubner, junior Laron Day and senior Erik Moutenot finished second with a combined time of 3:26.21.
The Princeton Invitational was the last meet before the Lions go on to defend their titles in the NJAC Championships on Thursday, Feb. 26.
“Right now, our focus is on competing at a high level at NJACs and continuing our strong showings at this level,” Lindacher said.
The NJACs will be housed in the 168th Street Armory in New York, New York, the same facility that hosted Ramapo’s Roadrunner Tune-Up.
At that meet, senior Joan Hales won the weight throw with a toss of 14.61 meters. Despite the first place win, Hales says she wishes she could have done better.
Senior Megan Kocher also won her event, the 500 meters, with a time of 1:23.03.
Freshman Chloe Yelle finished second in the shot put with a heave of 11.20 meters, and sophomore Tracy Prentice also finished second in the pole vault with a height of 3.05 meters.
The men did well in the 3,000 meters, netting three of the top five spots in the race. Sophomore Andrew Tedeschi led the pack in second with a time of 8:51.53. Junior Tyler Grimm was third at 8:52.00 and senior Jeremy Garrell finished fourth in 8:57.56.
Freshman Dale Johnson took second in the 1,000 meters with a time of 2:31.87.
At this point in the season, the track team will continue to hone their skills. For Hales, this means adding a third turn to her throwing technique. And for Lindacher it means to be more efficient and conserve momentum at the end of the race.
(02/18/15 6:36pm)
By George Tatoris
Staff Writer
The men’s and women’s track and field teams split up this weekend to take on competition in two different meets: the Monmouth University Winter Collegiate Open and the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational.
The Boston University Track and Tennis Center houses one the fastest tracks in the country. This is due to the extent to which the track is banked. The effects were manifested in the Lions’ spectacular times.
“It’s a strange feeling — you don’t feel like you’re running faster,” said sophomore Brandon Mazzarella about the track. “But as you come around each lap, you look at the clock and you realize you’re running faster than you thought.”
The women’s team had their best weekend this season. Senior Katelyn Ary proved herself the fastest Division III runner in the nation in the 800 meters, which she completed in 2:11.56, a personal best.
“This weekend showed me that I am a lot stronger than I ever expected,” Ary said.
Ary was not alone in her phenomenal success. Senior Joy Spriggs was the top Division III runner in the 400 meters that meet, boasting an impressive 57.21 finishing time, which, in addition to being a personal best, put her in the top 10 Division III runners in that race this season.
Ary and Spriggs, along with senior Michelle Cascio and freshman Emily Mead, were the first Division III and 19th overall quartet to finish the 4x400 with a combined time of 3:54.5. Ary and Spriggs were also part of the distance medley that took place on the day the men’s team ran.
They, along with freshman Allison Fournier and senior Megan Stack, teamed up in the distance relay for a finishing time of 12:10.71, finishing 13th overall.
At the same meet, junior Jake Lindacher was the fastest amongst the Division III runners in the 60-meter high hurdles with a time of 8.37 seconds, placing 12th overall.
Lindacher is ranked 6th in the nation, according to head coach Justin Lindsey.
Mazzarella scored a personal best in the 800 meters with a time of 1:54.10. This put him 32nd out of 206 runners.
Mazzarella, with junior Laron Day, freshman Daniel Lynch and senior Erik Moutenot placed 18th in the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:19.44 — their first sub 3:20 of the season. Both the men’s and women’s relay teams have been doing well this season, and this breakthrough performance is testament to that.
Mazzarella attributed the finish to teammate Moutenot’s anchor leg, who also had a personal record in the 800 meters.
At Monmouth, senior Joan Hales did not get a personal best like last week, but still threw an ECAC cut of 14.42 meters, placing fifth in the weight throw.
In the 3,000 meters, junior Kayla Glynn finished fourth with a time of 11:07.60.
Junior Jon Stouber and senior Andrew Wilson topped off the 5,000 meters at Monmouth — Stouber in first at 15:21.29 and Wilson in second with 15:33.71.
“We had many breakthrough performances (this weekend), and the goal is to keep building on this energy until the end of the season,” Lindsey said.
(02/11/15 6:42pm)
By George Tatoris
Staff Writer
Two schools, one facility, one event.
Held annually for nearly 10 years now, the men’s and women’s track teams have squared off against Division I Rider Broncs in a dual meet, where only two schools compete — the only meet of its kind run during the winter season.
“It’s so important because both (the College) and Rider practice at Lawrenceville,” said senior thrower Joan Hales, who has been boasting an impressive season. “It’s our battle for our home turf.”
This year, the Broncs swept the Lions, besting the women 97-68 and the men 104-63. But the day was not totally lost as the steep competition and rivalry seemed to bring out the best in many a Lion at Lawrenceville on Friday, Feb. 6.
Hales toppled her competition — and her own personal record — in both weight throw and shot put events, landing a distance of 15.40 meters in the weight throw for a second-place finish and a distance of 11.00 meters in the shot put.
Fellow senior Michelle Cascio saddled a win for the Lions in the 200 meter dash, sporting a final time of 25.98 seconds and a second-place finish in the 55 meter dash, crossing the line at 7.26 seconds.
Seniors Katelyn Ary and Joy Spriggs topped the 400 meter in tandem — Ary in first with a time of 58.77 seconds and Spriggs in second with a time of 59.94 seconds.
Cascio, Ary, Spriggs and freshman Emily Mead beat Rider’s quartet in the 4x400 relay, pulling a combined time of 3:58.29.
Another top finish came from junior Courtney Paciulli, who leaped into first in the triple jump with a distance of 11.30 meters, overcoming the ECAC standard by almost half a meter.
On the men’s team, sophomore Brandon Mazzarella beat his Rider competition by nearly two seconds in the 800 meters with a final time of 1:54.68, and fellow sophomore Zach Hubner proved fastest in the 200 meters with a finish of 22.98 seconds.
Mazzarella, along with freshman Daniel Lynch, sophomore Ed Bohi and senior Erik Moutenot, beat Rider’s foursome in the 4x800 relay for a combined time of 8:04.48. A second College quartet comprised of junior Jon Stouber, seniors Andrew Wilson and Patrick Waite and sophomore Andrew Tedeschi took second through fifth in the 3000 meters respectively.
Lions coach Justin Lindsey has had a long history with this meet. The tradition started when he was coaching at Rider, his alma mater, and he pushed to have it continued when he started coaching at the College. Despite his history with the Broncs, however, he assured The Signal that “It’s Lions’ Nation all the way!”
Overall, the Lions netted over 20 personal records, eight ECAC qualifying marks and three NCAA qualifying marks at the meet, according to Lindsey, which isn’t bad for having lost.
“This team is very special — they compete with a tremendous amount of heart and support each other, and it showed last night,” Lindsey said. “With this continued energy, we will be ready for the conference, ECAC and NCAA Championships.”
(02/05/15 12:06am)
By George Tatoris
Staff Writer
Sometimes a few inches is all it takes.
This is what junior track athlete Jonathan Wright learned last week at the Princeton Heptathlon.
Coach Justin Lindsey had noticed during training sessions that Wright was getting just a little too close to the first hurdle in the 60 meter hurdles, so in response Lindsey moved the starting block — just a little.
“This was my first ‘successful’ hurdle race in a full year, and it’s thanks to my coach making an adjustment five minutes before the race went off,” Wright said. “So I have to thank him for that.”
The last-minute adjustment resulted in Wright taking second place at the heptathlon with a total of 4,446 points. Just behind him was teammate senior James O’Connor, who collected 4,261 points.
“I didn’t run anything spectacular, in fact it was relatively slow,” Wright said. “But it was kind of a redemption after failing so many times at that very track.”
Only two Lions, Wright and O’Connor, competed at the heptathlon. Coach Lindsey led the rest of the pack to successful outings at the Lehigh-hosted John Covert Classic last Saturday, Jan. 31, as well.
On the women’s team, three Lions took first place in their respectful events. Senior Joan Hales overtook 32 other throwers in the weight throw, even toppling Division I athletes.
“Joan is having an amazing season so far, and I can’t wait to see what she does next,” fellow classmate and teammate Joy Spriggs said.
Spriggs, freshman Emily Mead and seniors Michelle Cascio and Katelyn Ary worked together to best their competition in the 4x400 relay.
Ary was the top finisher in the 400 meters as well, with an overall time of 59.94 seconds, adding a third top finish to the Lions’ total wins that day. Ary expressed enthusiasm at the team’s successes so far.
Just behind Ary, Cascio took second with a time of 1:00.13, and Spriggs took fifth with a time of 1:00.72.
“The success has been contagious and watching people consistently improve has been inspiring to everyone,” Ary said.
The men’s team fared well at the Classic, too, with junior Jake Lindacher performing his best thus far in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.37 seconds, earning him second place. He also took 10th after a 7.23 second long sprint in the 60 meter dash.
Sophomore Zach Hubner finishing third in both the 100 meter with a time of 7.17 seconds and 300 meter dash with a time of 23.23 seconds.
Hubner, along with junior Laron Day, freshman Daniel Lynch and senior Erik Moutenot, took second in the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:28.09.
Juniors Roberto Guiducci and Tyler Grimm and sophomore Chris Gugliemo both earned sixth for their respective events — Guidicci in the mile with a time of 4:25.87, Grimm in the 5,000 meters with a time of 15:49.04 and Gugliemo in the pole vault with a height of 4.05 meters.
Both teams feel positive about their performances.
“The team has improved by just getting stronger and always going after their race no matter what the conditions are,” Spriggs said.
(01/29/15 9:07pm)
By George Tatoris
Staff Writer
The men’s and women’s winter track teams gave stellar performances just down the road at Princeton’s Tiger Open on Saturday, Jan. 24.
Several Lions on both teams earned ECAC-qualifying marks at the Open. Athletes only needed to meet the marks once before the ECAC Indoor Championships this March.
On the men’s team, sophomore Brandon Mazzarella bested 32 other runners in the 800 meters for an ECAC-worthy time of 1:55.75.
“The meet was definitely great all around for TCNJ, with tons of great performances,” Mazzarella said.
Senior sprinter Erik Moutenot, who took fifth in the 500 meters with a time of 1:07.78, also qualified for the ECAC.
Moutenot joined sophomore Zach Hubner, junior Laron Day and freshman Tristan Gibson to finish seventh in the 4x400 relay with an ECAC-qualifying time of 3:26.2.
Senior Juan Giglio also qualified for ECAC, clearing 4.5 meters in the pole vault, the highest of any Division III performer in that event.
Junior sprinter Jake Lindacher was another ECAC qualifier with a time of 8.58 seconds, which placed him in 13th place in the 60-meter high hurdles. That was not Lindacher’s only ECAC qualifying time this season — he ran ECAC-worthy times in the same event every meet so far this season.
“The ECAC qualifying marks are great,” said Lindacher. “We want everyone to hit the marks so we can take a big group to ECACs.”
On the women’s team, senior Katelyn Ary capsized her competition in the 800 meters, with an ECAC-qualifying time of 2:16.41. In the mile, fellow senior Megan Stack came in fifth with a time of 5:08.33, netting her a bid for ECAC, as well.
Ary, along with seniors Joy Spriggs and Michelle Cascio and freshman Emily Mead, also qualified in the 4x400 relay with a time of 4:02.68. Spriggs was also 10th in the 400 meters with an ECAC-qualifying mark of 9.41, the fastest performance of any Division III runner in that event.
In the 1,000 meters, freshman Allison Fournier finished eighth with a time of 3:05.04, another ECAC mark. In the 500 meters, junior Kristen Randolph came in ninth, qualifying with a time of 1:21.00.
Senior Tara Nealon also qualified in the 3,000 meters with a time of 10:38.11, placing 14th. Fellow senior Joan Hales qualified in the weight throw with a toss of 14.05 meters, placing 15th.
Many of these athletes already met the ECAC standards of their respective event. Spriggs, Cascio and Ary all qualified for the 4x400 already this season.
According to Lindacher, once a Lion meets an event’s ECAC mark, the goal becomes to consistently push past the mark. To some, just reaching the mark is an important goal. However, many Lions have already reached this goal and are working to move as far past the figure as they can.
Qualifying for ECACs gives members of the track team the opportunity to qualify for Nationals — the ECAC Championship is the last meet before the big one.
“As long as people are improving and continue to improve, the meets will continue to go well as they have been so far this season,” Lindacher said.
(12/01/14 9:09pm)
The men’s basketball team competed against two other Division III teams at Virginia Wesleyan’s Marlin Tip-Off Tournament this weekend. They lost to the host school 91-60 but managed to beat Delaware Valley College in the consolation game 67-57, resulting in a record of 1-1. There were a total of four teams at the Tournament.
Virginia Wesleyan, which has qualified for the NCAA championship for the past four seasons, boasted a strong offense that dominated the court on Saturday, Nov. 15, scoring 14 three-point goals and heralding a 30-point lead at the first half.
“Virginia Wesleyan is a very good team, and they shot the ball very well against us,” junior forward Bobby Brackett said. “It’s hard beating any team when they have a shooting night like that.”
The score was tied 7-7 in the first half when a 20-5 run from Virginia Wesleyan sent them into the lead. Freshman guard Eric Murdock Jr. managed to score a lay-up afterwards, but that was not enough to curb things in the College’s favor.
At the end of the first half, Virginia Wesleyan led 56-26.
Despite the difficult opponent, the College managed to claw back in the middle of the second half, rallying in the first eight minutes for a series of impressive runs that would cut the deficit to 60-45.Ten of the 19 points scored in those minutes were made by Brackett.
But this valiant effort was not enough to thwart the VWC offense, which followed the Lions’ surge with an 11-0 run which snared them a victory.
Brackett was the top scorer and rebounder of the night, with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Senior guard and co-captain Jayson Johnson also broke into the double digits with a total of 15 points and three assists.
In spite of the defeat, the College swung around and beat Delaware Valley College on Sunday, Nov 16.
Delaware had a 13-8 lead at the beginning of the first half, but the Lions quickly tied it up. A significant 18-6 run at the end of the first half brought the Lions into the lead.
A three-pointer from Johnson, a long-distance shot from senior forward and co-captain Skyelar Ettin and a jumper from sophomore guard Eric Klacik, who also converted all his free throws after he was fouled, helped propel the Lions to a 42-30 lead over the Delaware Valley Aggies at the break.
Brackett noted Johnson, Ettin and Klacik’s importance in Sunday’s game.
“Without all three of them playing that well, we don’t win the game,” Brackett said.
Midway through the second half, Delaware Valley scored 10 unanswered points that narrowed the gap to just six points, but a three-pointer from Klacik stifled their progress. A series of free throws clinched the win for the Lions.
Klacik, Ettin and Johnson all got doubles: Klacik got 17 points, Ettin got 16 and Johnson got 12.
Brackett attributed the success Sunday to experience and strong defense.
“Playing great defense and rebounding the ball is what gets us going on offense,” Brackett said. “Once we all realize that, I think we can have a very good season.”
(12/01/14 9:08pm)
A wall of spectators barricaded 41 cross country teams onto the Genesee Valley Park course this Saturday, Nov. 15. Over 500 runners competed at the NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional Championships for the chance to go to Nationals. Unfortunately, the College did not make it.
The women’s team placed 10th, but only the top two teams receive automatic bids to Nationals. Senior Megan Stack placed 23rd at 22:35.9, the first Lion across.
The large crowd did not intimidate Stack “because there is always so much energy around you to keep you motivated,” she said.
Behind Stack, junior Carly Martz finished 58th with a time of 23:18.1. Freshman Allison Fournier and senior Jillian Manzo crossed the finish line in tandem: Fournier finished 68th with a time of 23:25.3 and Manzo finished 69th with a time of 23:25.9.
The men’s team placed 13th with sophomore Andrew Tedeschi placing 23rd with a time of 25:47.7. Tedeschi also relished in the excitement of the crowd.
“It was extremely loud during the race,” Tedeschi said. “Our whole team came down to cheer. (It) really got the adrenaline going.”
Senior Jeremy Garrell crossed 64th with a time of 26:31.1. Sophomore Brandon Mazzarella placed 70th, posting a time of 26:39.9.
Behind them, junior Scott Savage posted a time of 26:47.6, placing 80th; junior Tyler Grimm posted a time of 26:48.9, placing 84th; and freshman Dale Johnson finished with 26:53.5 on the clock, placing 86th.
Because of the small size of the course, the runners had to get into good position before the first bend, lest they get caught in the back and it becomes harder to move up.
Most of the runners will be able to try for Nationals again in the indoor track.
But with winter track and field ahead in the distance, the focus is on that for now.
“It’s my senior year, so I am going to miss running cross country,” Stack said. “But I am excited for track season to begin.”
(11/06/14 2:48am)
Sophomore Brandon Mazzarella had been battling a runner from Rowan University throughout the course of the race. The opponent cut him off and elbowed him whenever Mazzarella passed him.
“I told myself there is no way I’m going to let him beat me,” Mazzarella said.
With 600 meters to go, Mazzarella broke into a sprint, overtaking the Profs runner and two other runners to swipe a third place spot at the annual New Jersey Athletic Conference Cross Country Championship. The move earned the College men’s and women’s teams first place titles, with this year being the men’s 21st consecutive NJAC win.
This was no easy task considering the wind and rain, which freshman Allison Fournier said can cause runners’ muscles to tighten. In order to combat the cold, the runners made sure to warm up a bit more than usual before the race.
“It was 45 degrees, windy and pouring,” junior Carly Martz said. “The trails were totally submerged, and the puddles were ankle-deep, which made the race really challenging. But we didn’t let the conditions bother us.”
“By the first mile my entire body was completely drenched, and my shoes were filled with water,” Mazzarella said.
Mazzarella’s 26:27.16 finish “was an important one, that put us into the lead,” senior Jeremy Garrell said. Beforehand, the College only had a two-point lead on second place Rowan.
They did not win solely because of that move, however. Teamwork was essential: when Mazzarella started to lose focus and fall behind in the middle of the race, Garrell and junior Scott Savage encouraged him to keep moving.
Garrell finished seventh with a time of 26:36.59 while Savage finished 10th with a time of 26:45.64.
Garrell, Savage and Mazzarella formed a mini-pack and quickly began to pick up other Lions as the race went on. Sophomore Andrew Tedeschi was the first. He finished ninth with a time of 26:44.14. Junior Tyler Grimm also joined up, earning 11th with a time of 26:49.80. Just behind Grimm, junior Roberto Guiducci finished with a time of 26:55.90.
Pack running is a big part of the Lions cross country team’s strategy.
“During races, we usually end up grouping together in different packs in order to work with each other and push the pack to maintain pace,” senior Megan Stack said.
Stack took third with a time of 22:55.80 and was closely followed by senior Jillian Manzo in fourth with a time of 23:09.85 and freshman Allison Fournier in fifth with a time of 23:12.25.
Stack and Manzo – like Mazzarella, Garrell and Savage – worked well together throughout the race. When Stack started to lose focus in the middle of the race like Mazzarella, it helped that her friend and teammate was by her side.
Behind Fournier, Martz took seventh with a time of 23:31.95. Sophomore Laura Straub took 11th with a time of 23:34.95, and senior Liz Johnson took 12th with a time of 23:50.32.
Despite the obstacles provided by the weather, both teams are happy with the results.
“Twenty-one years is an absurd amount of years to win consecutive titles,” Garrell said.
Likewise, Martz was pleased.
“It’s great to win the NJAC title and see everyone’s hard work pay off,” she said.
(10/22/14 7:12pm)
Hefty competition awaited the men’s and women’s cross country teams at the Princeton Invitational this Saturday – runners from over 50 different college teams, from all three NCAA divisions, competed at the meet at nearby West Windsor Fields.
The sheer number of runners and the talented challengers from big schools like Villanova, University of Pennsylvania and Cornell, gave the Lions some trouble.
“Because there were so many people in the race, our group ended up getting split up,” sophomore Andrew Tedeschi said. There were 180 runners in the men’s race alone.
Despite the challenge, the men’s team took third out of 27 teams with a total of 136 points.
Top Lion of the race was sophomore Brandon Mazzarella, who took 13th with a time of 25:53, a personal record. Tedeschi was just three seconds behind in 16th place.
Freshman Dale Johnson, who has been having an impressive rookie season, took 27th with a time of 26:22. Behind Johnson, a pair of seniors rounded out the College’s top five runners – Andrew DeMaria took 39th with a time of 26:33 while Jeremy Garrell was just two seconds behind in 41st.
The women’s team placed sixth out of 29 teams with a total of 182 points. The first Lion to cross the finish line was senior Megan Stack, who took 18th out of 187 at 23:44.
Stack ran into the same problems felt by the men’s team: There were so many runners that she “could not tell where her teammates were.”
Regardless, she used the competition to her advantage.
“I just ran my own race and used whoever was around me to push me to run faster,” she said.
Behind Stack, freshman Allison Fournier finished 34th with a time of 24:12. Fourier is also having a strong rookie season. Just behind Fournier, sophomore Laura Straub and senior Jillian Manzo took 36th and 37th, respectively, both with times of 24:15.
Senior Liz Johnson ran a time of 24:43 to finish 57th while junior Kayla Glynn closely followed her to finish 63rd with a time of 24:50.
The College wasn’t all at a disadvantage. The Lions had the upper hand in one instance — barring Princeton, the College is the closest school to the fields, meaning they were able to practice on the course. This greatly benefitted Fournier.
“We did two workouts on the course in the weeks leading up to the race, so I felt pretty familiar with it,” she said.
It is rare for the Lions to get a glimpse of the course they’re running until the day of the meet. The only other time this will happen this year is with the NJAC Championships, when the Lions got a sneak peek of the course they’ll run in the Championship at the Stockton-hosted Osprey Open.
The Lions, above all, are confident about the team’s performance.
“We are motivated for a very strong team performance, and we are continuing to train in order to make this happen,” Fournier said.