HOLMDEL, N.J. – The Manhattan College men's and women's cross country teams got a sneak peek at the venue for the 2014 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships on Saturday morning. The Jaspers took part in the Monmouth Invitational at Holmdel Park, finishing seventh in the men's race and eighth on the women's side.
Shane Beyer (Brick, N.J.) was the top finisher for the men's team for the second time in as many meets this season. He took 28th overall, completing the 8000-meter course in 27:32.4. Kevin O'Brien (Attleboro, Mass.) placed 35th in 27:50.6, while Stephen Chantry (Williamsburg, Va.) grabbed 43rd in 28:10.2. Anthony Colasurdo (Lanoka Harbor, N.J.) was the next Jasper to cross the line, securing 45th place with a time of 28:16.7. Steven Forte (Bellmore, N.Y.), meanwhile, was 49th in 28:35.4. Rounding out Manhattan's top seven were Conor McDonough (Niskayuna, N.Y.) (50th, 28:36.4) and Mikael Rojeras (Sala, Sweden) (51st, 28:41.1).
Manhattan earned 200 points in the team standings. Monmouth captured the team title with 28 points.
For the Jasper women, Milena Stoicev (Nis, Serbia) grabbed 19th place after running 5000 meters in 19:33.4. Alexa Roda (Staten Island, N.Y.) took 42nd in 20:13.5, while Alexandra Cappello (Scarsdale, N.Y.) secured 45th place with a 20:20.7 clocking. Grace Ostolozaga (Stony Point, N.Y.) followed closely behind in 46th (20:22.7), and Kelly Gorman (South Amboy, N.J.) finished 48th overall (20:48.5). Katie Saroka (Blue Point, N.Y.) (49th, 20:51.6) and Kaitlyn Rose Smith (Effort, Pa.) (52nd, 21:02.2) completed the top seven for Manhattan.
The Jaspers also collected a total of 200 team points. Quinnipiac won the women's team title with 31 points.
After taking the next three weekends off, the Jaspers will return to action at the Metropolitan Championships from Van Cortlandt Park on Friday, Oct. 10.