July 30, 2015
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. -- Siena Men's and Women's Cross Country and Indoor and Outdoor Track Head Coach John Kenworthy has announced that 15 new student athletes will join the Saints' running programs beginning this fall. Incoming freshmen Andrew Canavan, Luciano Fiore, William Randall, Adam Vaccaro and Abbi Wright join classmates Sarah Forman, Mike Mahoney and Jack O'Hara who originally signed their National Letters of Intent last winter. An additional seven student athletes -- five freshmen, a sophomore and a graduate student -- are set to walk on to round out the Saints' 2015-16 roster.
"This class of freshman student athletes is a great success for us," said Kenworthy, who enters his third season as the Saints' cross country coach and first leading the newly formed indoor and outdoor track programs. "They will help us get faster and deeper in cross country, with many of them being ready to contribute right away. They are a diverse group that offers a wide range of skills and strengths that can also help us in the winter and spring as we get our track programs off the ground. And they are all outstanding students and leaders that will continue our tradition of having teams excel in the classroom and in the community. Their future is extremely bright and I can't wait to begin working with all of these young men and women."
Originally from Olympia, Wash., Canavan finished fifth in the 1,600m (4:47.92) last winter at the Section II Division Championships for nearby Niskayuna High. He was the runner-up in the 3,200m (9:58.18) at the CNS Boys Invitational in 2014 and placed 19th overall in the three-mile run at the 2013 Section II Suburban Council Championships with a Saratoga Course personal record time of 16:10.8. Canavan also competed in the Washington State Cross Country Championships as a member of the fifth place team.
"I'm really excited for Andrew to come in and move up to the 8km this fall and to have the opportunity to race 5K and 10K on the track as well," noted Kenworthy. "He gets better as the race gets longer and these new opportunities will suit him perfectly for the next four years. He will be a staple in our cross country pack in no time."
A three-year varsity soccer star who didn't join the cross country team at Bay Shore until his senior year, Fiore nonetheless won the 2014 Reebok Manhattan High School Invitational Varsity "E" race with a 4K time of 13:08.40 and earned Section XI First Team All-County honors while also qualifying for the State Championship Meet held at SUNY Canton. The Brightwaters, N.Y. native and younger brother of Siena junior runner Paolo Fiore, he won multiple indoor and outdoor track invitationals. He captured the 800m race at the 2015 Hispanic Games (1:57.21), posted a personal record time of 2:31.18 in winning the 2015 Section XI League Championship in the 1,000m and finished ninth at the 2015 NYSPHSAA State Championships. Fiore also broke his high schools' records in both the 800m (1:54.33) and full mile (4:21.07).
"Luciano has some learning to do out on the cross country course; this fall will only be his second cross country season," explained Kenworthy. "But nonetheless, he is going to push all of our men day-to-day in workouts while he gains some race experience and grows into his spot near the front of our pack. He already has incredible track credentials over 800m and the mile, which I think will give him a shot to immediately score points at the MAAC Championships this year as well."
Randall was a four-time All-CNY selection in cross country and was named an NYSSWA Third Team All-State selection following his senior year. The Syracuse, N.Y. product excelled in cross country, finishing seventh his senior year at the Section III Championships (16:22.40), 16th at the NYS Class A Championships (16:12.20) and 18th at the NYS Federation Championships (16:12.60). He won the 5K race at the 2013 Chittenango Invitational (17:02.50) and finished fifth in the Varsity "A" race at the 2014 Reebok Manhattan High School Invitational. A three-sport varsity athlete at West Genesee, Randall was named to the 2015 Class AA NYSSWA All-State Baseball team and also excelled in basketball.
"Will has shown he is one of the best cross country runners in New York State and now that he has decided to focus solely on cross country and track his potential is endless," commented Kenworthy. "He will be contributing in our front pack right away this fall and the sky is the limit from there."
A native of Lake Ariel, Pa., Vaccaro was the captain for his cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field teams at Western Wayne. His school's record holder at both the 3,200m and 4x800m distances, he finished third in the 3,200m his senior year at both the Wyalusing (Lasagna) Ram Invitational (9:55.35) and The Robert Spagna Championship Meet (9:55.07). He also placed sixth in the 3,200m in leading Western Wayne to the 2015 PIAA District 2 AAA Championship.
"Adam has had a great senior year filled with consistent breakthroughs and I definitely see that momentum continuing into his Siena career," said Kenworthy. "He is another athlete that will benefit from the longer race opportunities in the NCAA. He is going to be a key member of our scoring group for years to come."
A local standout from nearby Slingerlands, N.Y., Wright captained her Bethlehem High Cross Country squad and qualified for the state championships in indoor track in the intersectional relay (1,000m) her junior year. A three-time NYSPHSAA Scholar Athlete, she competed at the Outdoor Nationals for the emerging elite 4x8m (2014) and emerging elite distance medley relay (2015). A well-rounded student athlete, she twice won the True Grit Award in addition to capturing the Leadership Award for cross country and the Spirit of the Eagle Award for indoor track (good character, leadership) her senior year.
"Abbi brings a lot to the table for us right away," noted Kenworthy. "She is well-rounded from the track mid-distance events up to cross country and she will contribute in every season this year and beyond. Abbi has been tremendously consistent in her racing, which will be a big asset for us in cross country this year as well."
The Saints will also be welcoming freshmen Michael Carroll, Daniel Medici, Meghan McDonough, Patrick Moran and Serena Rizzo, sophomore Nicole Romanzo and graduate student Stephanie Viggiano to the program this fall. Viggiano recently completed a standout career as part of the winningest class (91 victories) in Siena Softball history, graduating ranking fourth all-time in program history in hits (174), fifth in doubles (37), sixth in runs scored (85) and ninth in batting average (.315).
"We have a fantastic group of walk-on athletes joining us this year as well," explained Kenworthy. "The most you can ask from these athletes when they arrive this fall is that they train hard, study hard, and be fantastic teammates. The group coming in this year is full of great young men and women and I'm confident they will do exactly that. I see potential in all of them, and I don't think it will take long for them to develop into contributors for us."
The 15 newcomers join a Siena running program on the rise. In cross country, the Saints almost completely rewrote the record books with their individual times on both the men's and women's sides last fall, while also making great strides from recent years in most conference and regional races. Meanwhile, this marks the inaugural year for the indoor and outdoor track programs which begin competition in December. The Siena fall season gets underway with cross country's opening meet at the Marist Invitational Sept. 5.
