Complete Results
PENNINGTON, N.J. – The Manhattan College men's and women's cross country teams got a sneak preview of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships course on Saturday morning, participating in the Rider Invitational at Rosedale Park. With freshmen claiming the top two places and three of the top five, the Jasper women finished fifth in the team standings. The Manhattan men, meanwhile, placed eighth overall behind a trio of newcomers.
In the women's race, Manhattan's top finisher was Lisa Fajardo (Brooklyn, N.Y.), who completed the 6000-meter distance in 22:50.50, which was good for 14th place. Keeley Hogan (Delmar, N.Y.) was the second Jasper across the line, placing 19th in 22:59.40. Lorraine Brancale (Staten Island, N.Y.) grabbed 24th place in a time of 23:18.80, while Alexa Roda (Staten Island, N.Y.) was 28th in 23:25.60. Erin Spadaccini (Wilmington, Del.) completed the Jaspers' top five. She ended up 35th with a 23:40.80 clocking. Rounding out Manhattan's top seven were Kaitlyn Smith (Effort, Pa.) (37th, 23:42.70) and Gianna Tinto (Kings Park, N.Y.) (47th, 24:02.10).
With a total of 120 points, the Jaspers placed fifth in the team standings. Eight of the 10 teams entered were MAAC schools, and Manhattan also took fifth among the conference members. Quinnipiac took the team title with 49 points.
On the men's side, Nick Matson (Clifton Park, N.Y.) led the way with a 25:28.13 clocking over 8000 meters. That time was good for 32nd place. Another freshman, Amir Khaghani (Bethesda, Md.) was Manhattan's second finisher. He placed 39th in 25:40.43. Christian McLaughlin (Allenhurst, N.J.) took 43rd in 25:54.37, while Shane Beyer (Brick, N.J.) captured 45th place with a time of 25:56.85. Tom Diliberto (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) (49th, 26:06.95) was followed closely by Nick Adamo (Franklin Square, N.Y.) (50th, 26:09.78), and John Dove (Monroe, N.Y.) finished 53rd in 26:22.08.
Manhattan was edged by Fairfield for seventh place by one point (207-208). The Jaspers were eighth overall and sixth among MAAC teams. Monmouth collected 42 points to earn the team title.
After running on back-to-back weekends to start the season, the Jaspers will now have a bit of a break before their next competition. Manhattan returns to action on Friday, Oct. 9, at the annual Metropolitan Championships at Van Cortlandt Park.