Milena Stoicev Finishes 10th at MAAC Championships

Men's Results: Individual | Team
Women's Results: Individual | Team

HOLMDEL, N.J. – Manhattan College senior Milena Stoicev (Nis, Serbia) earned a 10^th-place finish at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Cross Country Championships on Friday afternoon at Holmdel Park.  Stoicev completed 6000 meters in 21:55.64 to lead the Jaspers to an eighth-place showing in the team standings.  The Manhattan men's team, meanwhile, placed ninth.

Stoicev was Manhattan's highest individual finisher since 2008, when Erin Kennedy also took eighth.  It also marked only the second time that a Manhattan woman has ever broken 22:00 in a 6000-meter cross country race.  Kristen Cerasi set the school record with a time of 21:52 at the 2001 NCAA Northeast Regional Championships.

Alexandra Cappello (Scarsdale, N.Y.) was the second Jasper across the line on Friday.  She grabbed 31^st place in a time of 23:00.70.  Competing in her first MAAC Championships, Grace Ostolozaga (Stony Point, N.Y.) had her best race of the season, finishing 52^nd in 23:49.03.  Alyssa Windle (Redlands, Calif.) took 56^th in 23:59.82, while Kelly Gorman's (South Amboy, N.J.) 24:14.19 clocking was good for 58^th place.  Samantha Manalastas (Smithtown, N.Y.) (68^th, 25:40.76) and Alexa Roda (Staten Island, N.Y.) (70^th, 25:51.37) completed Manhattan's top seven.

The Jaspers ended up with a team score of 207, one point ahead of ninth-place Fairfield.  Iona placed seven runners in the top 12, led by individual champion Kate Avery, to win its 10^th straight MAAC title.

Leading the way for the men's team was Shane Beyer (Brick, N.J.), who ran 8000 meters in 27:01.51 to capture 46^th place.  Kevin O'Brien (Attleboro, Mass.) was close behind, taking 49^th in 27:05.18.  Conor McDonough (Niskayuna, N.Y.) posted his best time of the season, 27:31.60, to place 59^th overall.  Mikael Rojeras (Sala, Sweden) was 60^th with a time of 27:36.83, while Anthony Colasurdo (Lanoka Harbor, N.J.) finished 64^th in 27:52.35.  Rounding out the Jaspers' top seven were Greg Perrier (Dix Hills, N.Y.) (65^th, 27:59.18) and Chris Orlando (Newburyport, Mass.) (66^th, 28:04.57).

Manhattan's team score was 279 points.  Iona, which is ranked fifth nationally, continued its MAAC dominance, winning its 24^th consecutive conference championship with a perfect score of 15.  In fact, the first nine finishers were all from Iona, led by individual champion Jake Byrne.

In addition, the MAAC All-Academic Teams were announced.  Four men and two women were recognized for their work in the classroom.  On the men's side, O'Brien and Rojeras were honored along with Nick Adamo (Franklin Square, N.Y.) and Jacob Adams (Yonkers, N.Y.).  Cappello and Windle earned places on the women's All-Academic Team.  To be eligible for the MAAC All-Academic squad, student-athletes must have completed two semesters at their institution and boast a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher.