Riverdale, NY - Fueled by another strong performance from junior Lisa Fajardo (Brooklyn, NY / Bishop Kearney), the Manhattan Women claimed their first Metropolitan Championship since 1986.
"That 1986 team that won Mets 31 years ago, they are the standard," said Head Coch Kerri Gallagher. "For these girls to come out here and start checking off those boxes that the 1986 team did, that really means a lot to the program."
The Jaspers scored 49 points in outpacing local-rival Fordham, which registered 54 points. Rutgers (83) was third, followed by Iona (118), Seton Hall (141), St. John's (151), Marist (162), LIU Brooklyn (309), NJIT (313) , St. Francis Brooklyn (331) and Saint Peter's (411).
Fajardo recorded a personal-best mark of 18:05.7 in placing second to a lead a Manhattan attack that placed four runners among the top-10. Junior Erin Spadaccini (Wilmington, DE / Padua Academy) was the next Jasper to finish in seventh (18:58.4), followed by senior Katilyn Smith (Effort, PA / Pleasant Valley) in eighth (19:02.6) and junior Caroline Ferri (Garden City, NY / Garden City) in 10th (19:06.6).
Junior Keeley Hogan (Delmar, NY / Bethlehem Central) clinched the win for Manhattan, finishing 22nd with a mark of 19:32.5.
Iona's Egle Morenaite captured the individual crown with a time of 17:55.4
Rutgers (39 points) edged out Manhattan (53 points) for the team title on the men's side. Fordham was third with 67 points, followed by Marist (140), Seton Hall (147), Columbia (174), NJIT (176) and St. Francis Brooklyn (333). Thomas Slattery of Fordham won the individual title with a mark of 25:37.7.
Senior John Dove (Monroe, NY / Monroe-Woodbury) placed third in 25:56.9 to lead the men while Junior Amir Khaghani (Bethesda, MD / Walt Whitman) was fourth in 26:00.3.
Finishing just outside the top-10 was senior Christopher Orlando (Newburyport, MA / Newburyport) in 13th (26:38.2) with junior Chad Maier (Melville, NY / Walt Whitman) placing 16th (26:48.9) and Drew Reda (Matawan, NJ / Quinnipiac) 17th (26:49.7) to round out the scorers for the Jaspers.
Inside The Numbers
- Fajardo now has three top-two finishes this year
- The women claimed their second team title of the season
- The men have placed among the top-two in three of their four competitions
- Dove paced the squad on the men's side for the third time this season
Up Next
- Manhattan returns to action at the 2017 MAAC Championships in Holmdel, NJ on Saturday, October 28.