Dec. 23, 2014 LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - Siena Cross Country Head Coach John Kenworthy has announced the signings of three student athletes to National Letters of Intent during the NCAA's early signing period. Mike Mahoney, Jack O'Hara and Sarah Forman have all returned their binding NLI's and will begin running for the Saints next fall.
"Our three early signees are all great fits for our program," said Kenworthy. "They have all excelled in their fall cross country seasons while showing great range and versatility in the winter and spring track seasons. They are leaders on successful teams and they are all outstanding students that fit the Siena student athlete mold. I couldn't be more excited to get them on campus and working with our returning athletes."
A native of Pearl River, N.Y., Mahoney was a two-time All-Rockland County selection while running at Pearl River. He earned All-Section and All-League accolades in 2013 while also placing 35th overall at the Class B State Championships. Mahoney was also a multiple time All-County selection in track.
"Mike is a guy that I'm really excited to coach," noted Kenworthy. "He has had great success in cross country in being an All-County selection multiple times which is no easy task in Rockland County. Mike has had big championship meet experience throughout high school, but he's also shown great range by excelling in the shorter mid-distance events on the track. His future is definitely in cross country and some longer track races, but his versatile background makes him a great asset every day in practice for the team and his range will always help him remain an adaptable racer through his time here."
O'Hara joins the Saints from Cromwell, Conn. where he ran to a 40th place finish at the 2014 Eastern State Championship race at the famous Manhattan Invitational with a time of 13:03. This fall, he finished second at the Greater Harford Invitational representing Xavier High with a time of 9:50.48 on the 3200-meter course. Last year, O'Hara ran 23rd overall at the Connecticut State Open Championship to earn All-State honors in finishing with a time of 16:43 on the Wickham Park 5K course, while also running 15th at the Connecticut Class LL State Championships and 53rd at the New England Championship.
"I expect Jack will play a big role in the success of our men's team in the coming years," commented Kenworthy. "We have a great group of returning athletes that can guide him through the shift to 8K cross country and the depth of collegiate racing, but once he becomes comfortable I see him taking a big role on for the Saints. He is a student of the sport, is a savvy racer, and understands what it takes to succeed on the Division I level."
A local product from Guilderland High in nearby Altamont, N.Y., Forman was a two-time captain for her squad which finished in second place amongst Section II Class A squads in 2013. A three-time NYSPHSAA Scholar Athlete, Forman ran Guilderland's sixth fastest time ever on the famous Saratoga State Park Course with a time of 18:03.64 to finish 11th overall at the 2014 Section II Class A Championships which was the third best time by a senior in her section. She also placed 13th this fall at the Suburban Council Championships and ran 58th at the NYS Federation Championships with a time of 19:36.2 at the Bowdoin Park Course which was the fourth fastest time in school history as she helped guide Guilderland to a fifth place finish.
"Sarah is a huge addition to our quickly improving women's team," added Kenworthy. "She comes from a great Guilderland program and has excelled in the toughest cross country area in the nation. She races with a lot of grit and passion, and never backs down from a challenge. She is going to make an immediate impact on the course. I expect she will use her big meet experience from high school to make a smooth transition up to collegiate cross country. Sarah brings much more than just fast times to the team, she is a natural leader and excellent student which explains why she is such a natural fit into our program."
The three early signees join a Siena Cross Country program on the rise. The Saints almost completely re-wrote the record books with their individual times on both the men's and women's sides this fall, while also making big jumps from recent years in most conference and regional races.
