LOUDONVILLE, NY – After months of preparation and training, the time has finally come. Siena Cross Country will play host to the 2022 MAAC Cross Country Championships for the second time ever, and will look to make history on its home course. The 42nd edition of the annual postseason meet will be held on Saturday, October 29 at The Crossings of Colonie in Loudonville, with the men's 8k scheduled for 11 AM and the women's 6k set for Noon.
Live results from Saturday's races will be available via Finish Right Timing, while live updates will be available by following @SienaXCTrack on Twitter.
Playing host to the MAAC Championships for the first time since 2018, Siena will look to compete for both individual and team titles on Saturday, and will look to accomplish either for the first time in program history. Both teams have finished inside the top-3 in each of the last four meets, while the men have taken top-3 finishes in each of the last five. The 2021 MAAC Championship meet in Lake Buena Vista, Florida featured the Siena women as the MAAC Runner-up for the second straight year, while the men took third. The Men finished second and the women placed third back in 2018 at The Crossings.
Iona returns as the defending champions on both sides of the field, with the men having captured each of the last 31 MAAC titles, and the women having won six straight dating back to 2016. The Iona men return eight All-MAAC finishers from last season, including 2021 MAAC Individual Champion Jamie Dee.
Siena looks to build on program milestones set at last year's meet, with fifth year and three-time All-MAAC finisher Olivia Lomascolo finishing third in the women's race to set the program record for the best finish on either side. The Ballston Spa, NY native enters the 2022 race with the fastest time run this season, the top returning MAAC female finisher from last season, and having won an impressive four MAAC Women's Runner of the Week awards this fall. Senior and two-time All-MAAC performer Brandon Olden took fourth place in 2021 for the highest finish in the history of the men's team, and was the only non-Iona runner to crack the individual top-ten.
Alongside Lomascolo, Siena has boasted eight individual weekly honors this season, with Olden, junior Killian McNamee, sophomore Chris Bertola, and freshman Chloe Poulos also taking home MAAC Runner of the Week accolades. Lomascolo and McNamee both shattered the program marks for the 3k at the CCSU Mini-Meet on October 21, while Lomascolo (6k) and Olden (8k) set program marks at the Paul Short Run on September 30 and Lomascolo took the top spot at the CCSU Mini-Meet and the Siena XC Invitational on September 10. Lomascolo (third), senior Delia McDade Clay (11th), and Olden (17th) all earned All-East/All-IC4A honors for their performances at the ECAC/IC4A Championships on October 14.
Aside from Lomascolo and Olden, senior Sophia Vinciguerra also took home All-MAAC honors in 2021 with a 13th place finish. The Siena women return seven of its top nine finishers from last season, with all seven ranking inside the individual top-40. The men bring back four of its top-five from the previous year, with those four finishing 31st or better. Additionally, sophomore Luke Tkaczyk and senior Keira Cohen were named to the 2021 MAAC all-Rookie Team, while McDade Clay (Spring 2021) and senior Aidan Gillooley (2019) each previously took home All-MAAC honors.
The official MAAC Cross Country Awards Ceremony – which will be available after the conclusion of the meet on MAAC.TV - will follow the running of both races at approximately 1:30 PM.
