Complete Results
RIVERDALE, N.Y. – On a beautiful, sunny day at Van Cortlandt Park, the Manhattan College men's and women's cross country teams got their 2015 slates underway by hosting the Brother Jasper Season Opener. Competing in a multiple dual meet format, the Jaspers had some impressive performances. The women beat three of the other five teams, losing only to regionally-ranked Cornell and Columbia, while the men's team earned a dual win over Hofstra.
In the women's race, four of Manhattan's top five finishers were freshmen. Keeley Hogan (Delmar, N.Y.) led the way with a 27th-place showing. Her time was 18:58.7 for 5000 meters. Following closely behind was Lisa Fajardo (Brooklyn, N.Y.), who took 29th overall in 19:16.9. Sophomore Alexa Roda (Staten Island, N.Y.), the Jaspers' top returning performer, grabbed 38th place in 19:36.0. Two more newcomers rounded out Manhattan's top five. Sam Hoagland (Colts Neck, N.J.) was 41st overall in 19:47.2, while Erin Spadaccini (Wilmington, Del.) place 46th in 20:00.0. Kaitlyn Smith (Effort, Pa.) came in 47th overall (20:06.3), followed by Lorraine Brancale (Staten Island, N.Y.) in 48th place (20:09.5).
Manhattan scored the minimum 15 points to beat Hofstra, and the Jaspers notched a 16-47 win over Southern Connecticut State. The dual scoring against Army West Point was much closer, with Manhattan earning a narrow 27-30 victory.
Leading the way for the men's team was Shane Beyer (Brick, N.J.) in 27th place. He completed 6000 meters in 19:58.4. Freshmen claimed the next four positions for the Jaspers. Amir Khaghani (Bethesda, Md.) finished 33rd in 20:17.8, while Nick Matson's (Clifton Park, N.Y.) time of 20:17.8 was good for 37th place. Christian McLaughlin (Allenhurst, N.J.) and Liam O'Brien (Clifton Park, N.Y.) crossed the line virtually together. McLaughlin took 43rd in 20:32.9, and O'Brien was 44th in 20:33.0. Tom Diliberto (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) (45th, 20:35.4) and Chris Orlando (Newburyport, Mass.) (50th, 20:53.6) rounded out the Jaspers' top seven.
Southern Connecticut State didn't compete in the men's race, so the Jaspers were only scored against Cornell, Columbia, Army West Point and Hofstra. Manhattan posted a 22-37 win over Hofstra and suffered a 20-37 loss to Army West Point. The Jaspers were also beaten by Cornell and Columbia, who combined to take 24 of the top 26 places.
The Jaspers hit the road for the first time next Saturday, when they head to Pennington, N.J., for the Rider Invitational. The meet, which gets underway at 10 a.m., will be held on the same course at Rosedale Park as this year's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships.