2008 Woodie Awards
Men's cross-country prepares for MAAC Championships
Daniel Barrack
Issue date: 10/26/06 Section: Sports
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A first place finish in last Tuesday's warm up meet with Iona and Manhattan College has the Red Foxes confident going into this Friday's Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships at Van Cortlandt Park.
The results of last Tuesday's meet were not significant, but it gave Marist some practice on the same course that will be hosting its biggest meet thus far this season.
Unlike most championships, the MAAC Championships for men's cross country is
a battle for second place. Iona College is the third ranked team in the nation, and has won the championship 15 consecutive years.
"Iona is equivalent to Duke basketball. No one can touch them," Colaizzo said. "Our goal is to finish second, which would be just as good as winning first place itself."
Marist has finished in second place behind Iona in 1998, 2003, and most recently in 2005. A repeat performance in 2006 is exactly what the Red Foxes are striving for, and it is what they expect going in on Friday.
The MAAC Championships are just one of three championship meets that await Marist in the upcoming weeks. The NCAA Northeast Regionals will take place on Nov. 11, and the IC4A Championships follow one week later.
"Each of these meets are important. Right now the MAAC Championships are the most important, because it is what is in front of us right now," Colaizzo said.
One thing to note about the MAAC Championships is that however Marist finishes in this meet will determine its ranking for the entire season. Cross country does not have season standings, so a second place finish on Friday means a second place finish on the season. The results of the MAAC Championships do not have any affect on the two following meets, and the team is focusing on one meet at a time.
While the Coach's Award, equivalent to the MVP, is not awarded until after the championships have come to a conclusion, coach Colaizzo mentioned that he is very proud and impressed of his young stand-outs this season.
"Cross-country is a team sport, and we get contributions from all of our guys," Colaizzo said. "I am very pleased with the young guys on the team, which makes the future of the program promising. Segni and Raucci are two of the sophomores and Conor [Shelley] was a stand-out freshman for us this year. The future looks very good."
The results of last Tuesday's meet were not significant, but it gave Marist some practice on the same course that will be hosting its biggest meet thus far this season.
Unlike most championships, the MAAC Championships for men's cross country is
a battle for second place. Iona College is the third ranked team in the nation, and has won the championship 15 consecutive years.
"Iona is equivalent to Duke basketball. No one can touch them," Colaizzo said. "Our goal is to finish second, which would be just as good as winning first place itself."
Marist has finished in second place behind Iona in 1998, 2003, and most recently in 2005. A repeat performance in 2006 is exactly what the Red Foxes are striving for, and it is what they expect going in on Friday.
The MAAC Championships are just one of three championship meets that await Marist in the upcoming weeks. The NCAA Northeast Regionals will take place on Nov. 11, and the IC4A Championships follow one week later.
"Each of these meets are important. Right now the MAAC Championships are the most important, because it is what is in front of us right now," Colaizzo said.
One thing to note about the MAAC Championships is that however Marist finishes in this meet will determine its ranking for the entire season. Cross country does not have season standings, so a second place finish on Friday means a second place finish on the season. The results of the MAAC Championships do not have any affect on the two following meets, and the team is focusing on one meet at a time.
While the Coach's Award, equivalent to the MVP, is not awarded until after the championships have come to a conclusion, coach Colaizzo mentioned that he is very proud and impressed of his young stand-outs this season.
"Cross-country is a team sport, and we get contributions from all of our guys," Colaizzo said. "I am very pleased with the young guys on the team, which makes the future of the program promising. Segni and Raucci are two of the sophomores and Conor [Shelley] was a stand-out freshman for us this year. The future looks very good."
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