Fairfield University Athletics

Aug. 19, 2004

FAIRFIELD, Conn.--There are many new things regarding the men's and women's cross country teams at Fairfield University. One there is a new coaching staff, as Jennifer Wyshner took over as the head coach in the spring, second there are many new faces on the team that would be looked at to step up and contribute in 2004. Both teams return to campus next week to begin preparations for the 2004 season. Both teams will open the year at the Central Connecticut State University on Saturday, Sept. 4. Wyshner inherits two teams which each finished sixth in the last two seasons at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, N.Y. The new coach has her sights set on improving both teams at some point during her tenure on the North Benson Road campus. This will be a rebuilding year; however the pieces are in place for resurgence to the top for both teams. "We definitely lost some talent," Wyshner said. "Hopefully the freshmen and some of the returning runners from last season can make an immediate impact this year on both sides. Our goal is to improve our standing in the MAAC." This year the Stags take the initial steps to rebuilding the universities first intercollegiate athletic team. Wyshner has begun to set the plan into motion. "There is a lot of potential on the team that is going to be tapped within the next couple of seasons," Wyshner stated. "This year we are going to have to start to develop that talent." Below is the 2004 outlook for the men's and women's cross country teams at Fairfield University. Men's Outlook While there are many new features to the men's team, there is one aspect that will remain the same, senior co-captain Bryan Mahoney (Milton, Mass./Milton) in the lead pack for the Stags. Mahoney missed the early part of last season, but came back to finish as the Stags top runner in four of the last five races of the season. In his first race of the 2003 season, he finished second on the team at the Quinnipiac Invitational. The next time out at the Fairfield Invitational, the Massachusetts native finished third overall with 27:48.8 over the five-mile course. Then at the prestigious New England Championships, he turned in his fastest time of the season with a 26:44 at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass. Junior Justin Rindos (Naugatuck, Conn./Naugatuck) should be right on the heels of Mahoney this season. Rindos finished 22nd overall at the Central Connecticut State Invitational. He followed it up, by finishing as Fairfield's top runner at the Ram Invitational and the Quinnipiac Invitational. His season-best time came on a fast track at the New England Championships with a 27:06. Also looking to be in the lead pack for Fairfield is junior A.J. Kastanotis (Reading, Mass./Reading). He was the third Fairfield runner for most of last season, and improved steadily through out the year. He finished 12th at the Fairfield Invitational, and at the New England Championships he crossed the line in 28:02. Sophomore Michael Talmadge (Wilbraham, Mass./Minnechaug) is poised to have a breakout season for the Stags this year. At one of the biggest meets of last season, he posted a season-best 30:35. He also came in sixth on the team at the Fairfield Invitational. Junior Devin Hagen (Bedford, Mass./Billerica) will also be in the mix of the top-seven for the Stags in 2004. Hagen posted a season-best 30:48.7 at the Fairfield Invitational. He also produced a solid showing at the Quinnipiac Invitational with a 30:49. Sophomore John LcCagnina (East Meadow, N.Y./Holy Trinity) will look to build upon his first collegiate season, with a fine sophomore season. His collegiate personal-record came at the MAAC Championships at the famed Van Cortlandt Park with a 30:04.4. At the New England Championships the Holy Trinity grad, crossed the line in 31:29. Women's Outlook Wyshner will look to junior Shannon Kenefick (West Reading, Conn./Joel Barlow) to be one of the lead runners for the Stags this season. Fairfield has no clear cut top-seven; however it seems to have the depth to compete each time out. Kenefick was the top finisher for the Stags, in five of the seven races last season. She had a ninth place overall finish at the Fairfield Invitational, and finished 18th overall at the MAAC Championships. She set a season-best 19:43 at the New England Championships. Senior co-captain Lauren Wilson (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) will look to push into the lead pack for the Stags. Her season-best came at the New England Championships as she posted a 20:17. She finished 15th overall at the Fairfield Invitational with a 20:45.1, and posted a 20:32.9 at the Quinnipiac Invitational. Senior co-captain Stephanie Stote (Stamford, Conn./Trinity Catholic) had a solid showing at last season's New England Championships at Franklin Park. She posted a 19:51 over the three-mile course in Boston, and finished 12th overall at the Fairfield Invitational with a 20:23.4. In the first race of the season at Central Connecticut she finished the race with a 20:34.1. Junior Kara O'Connell (Westborough, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) will look to be another candidate for inclusion among the lead group for the Stags this season. She clocked in a season-best at the New England Championships with a 20:58, and had another solid outing at the Fairfield Invitational with a 21:03.8 to finish 20th overall. Wyshner also has two newcomers that could make an immediate impact for the team this year. Freshman Cathleen Cavanaugh (Sparta, N.J./Pope John), and fellow first-year runner Megan Kruger (Cheshire, Conn./Cheshire) will look to give the Stags added depth in the lineup. Schedule After the first race of the season at Stanley Quarter Park in New Britain, Conn., Fairfield will run in the Fordham Ram Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park, in the Bronx, N.Y., on Saturday, Sept. 11. Then Fairfield heads to the 2004 Quinnipiac Invitational on Friday, Sept. 24. Fairfield will host the 28th annual Fairfield Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 2, on the Fairfield campus. One week later, Fairfield returns to Franklin Park, where numerous runners on both teams either set or eclipsed personal-bests, for the 2004 New England Championships. On October 23, Fairfield will head back to New Britain, Conn., for the Central Connecticut State Mini-Meet, as a warm-up for the MAAC Championships on Oct. 30 at the Walt Disney Wide World of Sports Complex, in Orlando, Fla. Fairfield finishes the season with two races at Van Cortlandt Park, beginning with the NCAA Northeast Regional on Saturday, Nov. 13, and the ECAC/IC4A Championships on Saturday, Nov. 20.

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Cross Country Cross Country Home Roster Schedule/Results Stats News Coaches Media Guide History & Records	Aug. 19, 2004 FAIRFIELD, Conn.--There are many new things regarding the men's and women's cross country teams at Fairfield University. One there is a new coaching staff, as Jennifer Wyshner took over as the head coach in the spring, second there are many new faces on the team that would be looked at to step up and contribute in 2004. Both teams return to campus next week to begin preparations for the 2004 season. Both teams will open the year at the Central Connecticut State University on Saturday, Sept. 4. Wyshner inherits two teams which each finished sixth in the last two seasons at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, N.Y. The new coach has her sights set on improving both teams at some point during her tenure on the North Benson Road campus. This will be a rebuilding year; however the pieces are in place for resurgence to the top for both teams. "We definitely lost some talent," Wyshner said. "Hopefully the freshmen and some of the returning runners from last season can make an immediate impact this year on both sides. Our goal is to improve our standing in the MAAC." This year the Stags take the initial steps to rebuilding the universities first intercollegiate athletic team. Wyshner has begun to set the plan into motion. "There is a lot of potential on the team that is going to be tapped within the next couple of seasons," Wyshner stated. "This year we are going to have to start to develop that talent." Below is the 2004 outlook for the men's and women's cross country teams at Fairfield University. Men's Outlook While there are many new features to the men's team, there is one aspect that will remain the same, senior co-captain Bryan Mahoney (Milton, Mass./Milton) in the lead pack for the Stags. Mahoney missed the early part of last season, but came back to finish as the Stags top runner in four of the last five races of the season. In his first race of the 2003 season, he finished second on the team at the Quinnipiac Invitational. The next time out at the Fairfield Invitational, the Massachusetts native finished third overall with 27:48.8 over the five-mile course. Then at the prestigious New England Championships, he turned in his fastest time of the season with a 26:44 at Franklin Park in Boston, Mass. Junior Justin Rindos (Naugatuck, Conn./Naugatuck) should be right on the heels of Mahoney this season. Rindos finished 22nd overall at the Central Connecticut State Invitational. He followed it up, by finishing as Fairfield's top runner at the Ram Invitational and the Quinnipiac Invitational. His season-best time came on a fast track at the New England Championships with a 27:06. Also looking to be in the lead pack for Fairfield is junior A.J. Kastanotis (Reading, Mass./Reading). He was the third Fairfield runner for most of last season, and improved steadily through out the year. He finished 12th at the Fairfield Invitational, and at the New England Championships he crossed the line in 28:02. Sophomore Michael Talmadge (Wilbraham, Mass./Minnechaug) is poised to have a breakout season for the Stags this year. At one of the biggest meets of last season, he posted a season-best 30:35. He also came in sixth on the team at the Fairfield Invitational. Junior Devin Hagen (Bedford, Mass./Billerica) will also be in the mix of the top-seven for the Stags in 2004. Hagen posted a season-best 30:48.7 at the Fairfield Invitational. He also produced a solid showing at the Quinnipiac Invitational with a 30:49. Sophomore John LcCagnina (East Meadow, N.Y./Holy Trinity) will look to build upon his first collegiate season, with a fine sophomore season. His collegiate personal-record came at the MAAC Championships at the famed Van Cortlandt Park with a 30:04.4. At the New England Championships the Holy Trinity grad, crossed the line in 31:29. Women's Outlook Wyshner will look to junior Shannon Kenefick (West Reading, Conn./Joel Barlow) to be one of the lead runners for the Stags this season. Fairfield has no clear cut top-seven; however it seems to have the depth to compete each time out. Kenefick was the top finisher for the Stags, in five of the seven races last season. She had a ninth place overall finish at the Fairfield Invitational, and finished 18th overall at the MAAC Championships. She set a season-best 19:43 at the New England Championships. Senior co-captain Lauren Wilson (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) will look to push into the lead pack for the Stags. Her season-best came at the New England Championships as she posted a 20:17. She finished 15th overall at the Fairfield Invitational with a 20:45.1, and posted a 20:32.9 at the Quinnipiac Invitational. Senior co-captain Stephanie Stote (Stamford, Conn./Trinity Catholic) had a solid showing at last season's New England Championships at Franklin Park. She posted a 19:51 over the three-mile course in Boston, and finished 12th overall at the Fairfield Invitational with a 20:23.4. In the first race of the season at Central Connecticut she finished the race with a 20:34.1. Junior Kara O'Connell (Westborough, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) will look to be another candidate for inclusion among the lead group for the Stags this season. She clocked in a season-best at the New England Championships with a 20:58, and had another solid outing at the Fairfield Invitational with a 21:03.8 to finish 20th overall. Wyshner also has two newcomers that could make an immediate impact for the team this year. Freshman Cathleen Cavanaugh (Sparta, N.J./Pope John), and fellow first-year runner Megan Kruger (Cheshire, Conn./Cheshire) will look to give the Stags added depth in the lineup. Schedule After the first race of the season at Stanley Quarter Park in New Britain, Conn., Fairfield will run in the Fordham Ram Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park, in the Bronx, N.Y., on Saturday, Sept. 11. Then Fairfield heads to the 2004 Quinnipiac Invitational on Friday, Sept. 24. Fairfield will host the 28th annual Fairfield Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 2, on the Fairfield campus. One week later, Fairfield returns to Franklin Park, where numerous runners on both teams either set or eclipsed personal-bests, for the 2004 New England Championships. On October 23, Fairfield will head back to New Britain, Conn., for the Central Connecticut State Mini-Meet, as a warm-up for the MAAC Championships on Oct. 30 at the Walt Disney Wide World of Sports Complex, in Orlando, Fla. Fairfield finishes the season with two races at Van Cortlandt Park, beginning with the NCAA Northeast Regional on Saturday, Nov. 13, and the ECAC/IC4A Championships on Saturday, Nov. 20.

	Fairfield University Athletics 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, Connecticut 06824 (203) 254-4000 \| © 2008 Fairfield University

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