College Cross Country

Rider at MAAC Championships

MADISON, CT-The Rider men placed third and the women seventh at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships Friday at the Hammonasset Beach State Park. "On the men's side we are pleased that we finished third as a team," said Rider head coach Bob Hamer. "We had higher expectations but overall we ran our best race of the season. The women's side was a bit disappointing."

For the Rider men, senior Christian Gonzalez (Somerset, NJ/Franklin Twp.) placed third, covering the 8,000 meter course in 24:28.0. Gonzalez was the only non-Iona College runner among the top six finishers. "Chris was outstanding," Hamer said. "It was a very admirable performance. He really stepped up. He had a goal of winning but he ran a very positive race."

The Iona men's team, currently ranked fourth in the nation, won the race for the 20^th straight time, led by individual winner Leonard Korir in 23:50.4. The last time a non-Iona runner won on the men's side was in 2001.

Gonzalez's third place finish is the best ever for a Bronc at the MAAC Championships. Gonzalez finished 12^th of 127 runners at the MAAC Championships last year and as a sophomore he placed seventh.

Also for the Rider men senior Michael Soroko (Kinnelon, NJ/Kinnelon) placed 21^st (26:11.6) and junior Michael Lindner (Whitehouse Station, NJ/Hunterdon Central) was 22^nd (26:12.8) among the 130 runners.

Soroko earned All-MAAC honors last fall with a 13^th place finish. Lindner placed 25^th last season.

For the Rider women senior Chelsea Callan (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) placed 24^th, covering the 6,000 meter course in 22:56.4.  Last season Callan finished 14^th among the 121 runners to earn All-MAAC honors, despite suffering from the flu. As a sophomore she placed 16^th, just missing All-MAAC honors (top 15).

Iona won the women's race for the sixth straight year, led by overall winner Heidi Gregson in 21:02.5. The last time a non-Iona runner won the women's race was in 2005.

"We are a much better team than we showed today," Hamer said of the Bronc women. "Individually we had some pretty good things today from some people."

Also for the Rider women, sophomore Erin Fitzgibbons (Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville) placed 32^nd among the 124 runners in a time of 23:14.2, sophomore Jillian Shutt (Lawrenceville, PA/Williamson) was 40^th in 23:28.1, sophomore Nicole Tassello (Suffern, NY/Suffern) was 44^th  in 23:41.6 and junior Kelli Kaelin (Little Egg Harbor, NJ/Pinelands Regional) was 45^th in 23:53.

Also for the Rider men, sophomore Sean Donohue (Cliffwood Beach, NJ/Matawan) was 34^th in 26:36.8 and sophomore Sean McCullough (Plymouth Meeting, PA/La Salle) was 35^th in 26:37.8.

Named to the MAAC All-Academic cross country team from Rider were; Lindner, McCullough, sophomore Kurt Morrison (Deptford, NJ/Deptford), Soroko, junior David South (Sergeantsville, NJ/Hunterdon Central), sophomore Greg Wesh (Horsham, PA/Hatboro-Horsham), Callan, sophomore Megan Elgin (Doylestown, PA/Central Bucks East), Fitzgibbons, junior Heather Giovagnoli (Royersford, PA/Spring Ford), sophomore Paige McAtee (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa), senior Ashley O'Brien (Edison, NJ/John P. Stevens), junior Kristen Perrine (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial), Shutt, sophomore Laura Staples (Horsham, PA/Hatboro-Horsham), Tassello and sophomore Kimberly Thompson (Schwenksville, PA/Spring Ford).

The Broncs compete at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional at Penn State November 13. "We're hoping to continue to get better in the next couple of weeks," Hamer said. "Chris is trying to get to Nationals, that has been his focus all year, and if he runs his race on that day he has a great opportunity."

Men's team scores: Iona 18, Marist 53, Rider 115, Fairfield 130, Manhattan 144, Loyola 160, Canisius 175, Niagara 183, Siena 270, Saint Peter's 282.

Women's team scores: Iona 21, Canisius 58, Loyola 71, Marist 106, Fairfield 156, Niagara 181, Rider 185, Manhattan 205, Saint Peter's 258 and Siena 259

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