May 4, 2008

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - The Marist men's track and field team scored 56 points over the two-day Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships on Saturday and Sunday at Rider University, finishing fifth. Distance runners Girma Segni (Bronx, N.Y.), Adam Vess (Cromwell, Conn.), and Nick Webster (Latham, N.Y.) each had a third-place finish to lead the Red Foxes.

Webster became the third Marist freshman to qualify for the USA Junior Nationals in June with a time of 9:23.28 in the 3,000m steeplechase. Classmates Vess and Timothy Keegan (Huntington, N.Y.) qualifed earlier in the season in the 5,000 and 10,000m respectively. Vess ran a 3:59.94 in the 1,500m for his third-place finish. Segni finished with a time of 15:02.75 in the 5,000m.

Keegan had a pair of sixth-place finishes at the MAAC meet. The freshman ran a personal-best15:24.51 in the 5,000m and was the Red Foxes' top finisher in the 10,000m, clocking a time of 31:20.06. Junior John Keenan (Centereach, N.Y.) also had two sixth-place finishes for Marist. He finished in the points in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:04.75, and also finished sixth in the 3,000m steeplechase. Sophomore Michael Cocca (Suffield, Conn.) led the Marist sprinters with a fourth-place finish in the 100m and a fifth-place finish in the 200m. He also ran the anchor leg of the Red Foxes' 4x100 relay, which finished third.

In the field, sophomore Max Carow (Fanwood, N.J.) finished third in the pole vault, clearing 4.12 meters. Junior James Fitzgerald (Garden City, N.Y.) placed fourth in the discus with a throw of 38.88m. Senior Shaun Kippins (Latham, N.Y.) was a big point-producer for the Red Foxes during the MAAC Championships. He ran the third leg of the 4x100 relay, led off the fourth-place 4x400 relay, finished fifth in the triple jump with a leap of 12.96 meters, and also finished sixth in the long jump.

Marist's 56 points put it 18 points behind Rider for fourth place. Manhattan won the meet with 270 points.

TEAM RESULTS
1. Manhattan 270
2. Saint Peter's 111
3. Iona 103
4. Rider 74
5. Marist 56

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

100m: (4) Michael Cocca 11.25

200m: (5) Michael Cocca 23.00

400m: (5) John Carabetta 51.26
Greg Dubois 52.86
Alex Cuesta 54.60

800m: Colin Johnson 1:59.48
Matt Maynes 2:00.08
Bryan Dixon 2:00.50

1500m: (3) Adam Vess 3:59.94
(5) Conor Shelley 4:00.39
Thomas Dixon 4:14.72
Ted Marak 4:18.46
Joe Tarantello 4:20.58

5000m: (3) Girma Segni 15:02.75
(6) Timothy Keegan 15:24.51
Conor Shelley 15:33.17
Nick Webster 15:48.88
Mike Rolek 15:59.16

10000m: (6) Timothy Keegan 31:20.06
Alex Emerel 32:40.47
Patrick Duggan 33:55.89

400m Hurdles: (6) John Keenan 1:04.75
Kris Geist 1:06.74

3000m Steeplechase: (3) Nick Webster 9:23.28
(6) John Keenan 9:52.26
Greg Masto 10:14.00
Zak Smetana 10:18.01

4x100 Relay: (3) John Kristie, Shaun Kippins, John Carabetta, Michael Cocca 45.23

4x400 Relay: (4) Shaun Kippins, Colin Johnson, Greg Dubois, John Carabetta 3:33.11

High Jump: (6) Greg Masto 1.74m

Pole Vault: (3) Max Carow 4.12m