High tensions clashed with low temperatures as both the Hofstra men’s and women’s cross country teams concluded their seasons on Friday, Nov. 9, at the NCAA Division I Northeast Regional Championship held at the Audubon Golf Course in Amherst, New York.
Both the men and women fought the elements on a snow-covered course as they raced to a 22nd and 30th overall team finish, with combined scores of 571 and 906 points respectively.
The women’s 6K race began at 11 a.m. and found freshman Sophia Masciarelli leading the way for Hofstra in 87th place with a time of 23:30.5 followed by senior Felicia Banda in 133rd with a time of 24:10 to end her final season for the Pride.
Sophomore Megan Boese and senior Alli Bacher finished in back-to-back places of 235th and 236th, with times of 27:32.2 and 27:39.3, followed by sophomore Alyssa Suits to round out the Pride in 33:42.9 placing her in 243rd.
The Hofstra men, who traditionally run 8K races, ran a 10K course an hour after the women’s race. They were led by freshman Meshack Kipchirchir in 51st place with a time of 34:16.8, followed closely by junior Alex Masai in 62nd with a time of 34:28.2.
Masai and Kipchirchir have consistently proven themselves as the men’s top two runners. They finished first and third respectively at the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championships at Bethpage State Park on Friday, Oct. 26, with Masai breaking Hofstra’s 8K record in a time of 24:00.70 (a record set just 13 days earlier by Kipchirchir) and becoming the school’s first ever CAA cross country champion.
Freshman Steven Fiumefreddo finished third for Hofstra at the Regional Championships in 35:21.8, placing him in 121st. Classmate Paul Markovina clocked in at 36:13.4, putting him in 163rd.
Sophomores Tosin Ibironke and Marc Meltzer finished next in 182nd and 221st respectively, with times of 36:51.4 and 38:37.6. Senior Dante Perez closed out the men coming in 233rd in a time of 39:30.4.
Syracuse University won the men’s team title with a combined score of 79 points, followed by Iona University with 88 points and Army West Point with 135 points. UMass Lowell’s Paul Hogan won individually with a time of 32:30.9.
The women’s team title was earned by Columbia University with just 41 points followed by Dartmouth College with 88 points and Yale University with 94 points. Syracuse’s Shannon Malone took home the individual title in 21:28.7.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
