ECKERT, TOSCANO SPEARHEAD STAC AT NYU MEET
For the second straight week, Elmer Eckert and Ashley Toscano set the pace for the St. Thomas Aquinas cross country teams, fronting STAC’s effort at the NYU Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 16 at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
More than 30 Division II and III schools, primarily from the Northeast, ventured to Van Cortlandt’s fabled hills and trails to take part in the eighth annual event. The STAC men finished 18th out of 35 teams with 474 points, while the Spartan ladies placed 25th of 28 scoring squads with 680 points.
Eckert, a sophomore from Salesian H.S. and the Bronx, played the lead role for the Spartans by touring the hilly 5-mile course in 28 minutes 44 seconds for 31st place out of 291 finishers. Freshman Brad McNiff (Pearl River H.S., Pearl River, N.Y.) played a strong support role for St. Thomas by finishing 88th in 29:59, a tick under 6-minute-mile pace. Fellow frosh and roommate Aidan Hearn (St. Peter’s Boys School, Staten Island, N.Y.) followed quickly thereafter, clocking 30:26 for 106th position.
Other Spartan men’s finishers included senior Anthony Hilliard (North Rockland H.S., Stony Point, N.Y.), 160th in 32:06; sophomore Andrew Gangemi (St. Peter’s Boys School, Staten Island, N.Y.), 174th in 32:41; and soph Andrew Spanos (235th, 35:27).
In the women’s race, Toscano, a freshman from Clarkstown South H.S. and West Nyack, N.Y., topped all Lady Spartan finishers for the third consecutive week. She placed 116th out of 261 finishers in 23:17. Senior Laura Koch (Clarkstown North H.S., New City, N.Y.) was next across the finish line for STAC, placing 165th in 24:34. Fellow senior Kelly Bauer (Washingtonville H.S., Washingtonville, N.Y.) was the No. 3 St. Thomas scorer, taking 176th overall in 24:59, followed by freshman Amanda Szorentini (Albertus Magnus H.S., Airmont, N.Y.), 207th in 26:18, and junior Samara Vega (Aquinas H.S., Bronx, N.Y.), 245th in 30:16.
The Spartans
next travel to Boston’s Franklin Park to compete in the
Codfish Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 23.