JERSEY CITY, N.J. – After an abbreviated season back in February and March, the Saint Peter's University men's and women's cross country programs will open up a traditionally formatted circuit on Saturday (Sept. 18) when they head to Long Island to participate in the Hofstra Invitational beginning at 10 a.m.
Brief Recap of 2021
- Saint Peter's had the opportunity to participate in two meets during late February and in early March of 2021, as the program took place in an abbreviated cross country circuit that doubled not only as a means to return to the track for the first time in over a year, but also a chance to lay a foundation for the outdoor track & field campaign that started just a few short weeks later.
- Newcomers and veterans alike shined during last year's pair of cross country races; in particular, first-year sophomore transfer Shelby Piccinic led all runners on the women's side during both races, including a victory in the first race of the season. Piccinic led a 10-person field on the women's side at the Peacock Invitational and won the 5K race in 15:13.29, averaging just under a five-minute mile (4:54.0). She turned in a top-100 performance at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship less than a week after that.
- Senior Michael Conover was a top-three runner on the men's side in both cross country events of 2020-21, earning a top-10 finish at the Peacock Invitational before finishing just outside of the top-100 at the league championship race.
Meet the Peacocks
- Head coach John Marshall, entering his fifth season at the helm of both the cross country and track & field programs in 2021-22, has the team headed in the right direction on the cross country circuit while also helping the team achieve historic accomplishments during the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons.
- While there certainly have been a number of fresh faces over the past few seasons in the cross country ranks, the team is equipped with more returners than newcomers by a wide margin this fall.
- On the men's side, Conover highlights the group of returners and will be flanked by junior David Szaro and a group of five sophomores -- Devon Bembridge, Bayyan Dallas, Phillip Reguinho, Francisco Rodas and Luis Santizo -- who will all be looking to help the team take the next step. One rookie, Brendan Heaney, will look to make his collegiate debut this fall, as well.
- Over on the women's side, Piccinic burst onto the scene in a big way in just one semester of action between the 2021 cross country and outdoor track & field seasons. While she established herself as the top runner on the women's side during the abbreviated cross country season, she also enjoyed a great deal of success during the outdoor circuit while setting some records in the process.
- Graduate assistant Lovely Francois and senior Grace Proctor boast a great deal of experience of the group or returners, as do juniors Kaylah Davis and Maleny Cajamarca. Sophomore Ka'Rynn Hill saw action in last winter's cross country season, as well.
- Two true freshmen will join the Peacock ranks this fall on the women's side in New Jersey natives Diamond McLaughlin and Jasmine Pope.
The Road Ahead
- The Peacocks are slated to compete in four races this fall starting with Saturday's race at Hofstra.
- Two weekends later, the teams will make the short trek to Branch Brook Park in Newark for the NJIT Highlander Cross Country Challenge.
- The Peacocks then will face a six-day turnaround and head across the Hudson for the Metropolitan Championship at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx on Friday, Oct. 8.
- The team will have the next two weekends to rest and prepare for the most important meet of the fall, as the program will join the rest of the rest of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) down in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, for the 2021 MAAC Cross Country Championships held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports on Saturday, October 30.
- As the calendar turns to November, the Peacocks will gear up for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship on Friday, Nov. 12, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on the campus of Lehigh University. Pending those results, any advancing runners would compete in the NCAA Cross Country Championships the following Saturday (Nov. 20) in Tallahassee, Florida.
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