Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Both Place 18th in the Saratoga invitational

Saratoga, NY| The St. Joseph's College (L.I.) men's and women's cross country teams both finished in 18th place out of 21 competitors in their respective races at the Saratoga Invitational Saturday afternoon, which ran at Saratoga State Park in Saratoga, NY. Despite the low team finishes, head coach Jim Crowley was encouraged by the strong individual performances from some of his runners, citing that the event was "the most competitive in New York this weekend."

Nick Morfesi was the highest placing Golden Eagle of the afternoon, finishing tied for 75th after running a 20:46.0 in the men's 6k race. The sophomore's 5:35 mile pace was the best of his career and could help him in his quest to earn All-Skyline Conference First-Team honors.

Freshman Ryan Haun improved off of his 21:37.2 finish at the Friends and Alumni Race last week by posting a 21:18.2 6k time at a pace of 5:43 that placed him 164th. Senior Michael LoSchiavo clocked in at 22:04.0 and finished 214, and junior Nick Diaz posted a 22:28.0 to finish 226th.

Senior Brittany Guttieri's 94th-place finish was best amongst the women, as she clocked in 19:56.8 at a 6:33 pace. Fellow classmen Samantha Maurice (98th, 20:00.7) and Katie Scharrenbroich (119, 20:19.) finished close behind, rounding out a strong showing by the Golden Eagle's top-three. Coach Crowley believes that all three runners are contenders to claim Skyline Conference Runner of the Year.

Both the men and the women are back in action next weekend, on Saturday, September 19 when they take part in the LIU Post Invitational on the campus of LIU Post. The women begin at 10:30 AM and the men at 11:00 AM.