Edison, NJ - Pat Petersen and Cheryl Simoni headline the MAAC's 40th Anniversary Cross Country Team, released today by the conference as part of a year-long campaign celebrating the four decades since the MAAC's inception.
Petersen is joined on the men's squad by Conor Boyle, Matt Spring, Sean Lynch and Amir Khaghani. Simoni is joined on the women's team by Kathy Giovanniello, Edith Vilardi, Petra Huetteman and Lisa Fajardo.
Men's Team
Pat Petersen '82
Petersen won Manhattan's first individual MAAC Cross Country Championship in 1981. He qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships twice, and broke the 25-minute barrier at the Van Cortlandt Park cross country course 10 times. Petersen achieved a number one USA marathon ranking in 1987, and was ranked second in 1985 and 1989.
Conor Boyle '85
Boyle ranks seventh on the program's fastest VCP five-mile times, coming in at 24:27.4. He is also fifth in program history with a 24:50.9 average time for the VCP course.
Sean Lynch '98
Lynch won the 1997 MAAC Cross Country Championship with a time of 25:20.9, helping the Jaspers to a second-place team finish. He then finished third at the 1997 NCAA Northeast Regional, becoming the first Jasper in 15 years to qualify for the NCAA Championships. In 2016, Lynch was named to the MAAC 35th Anniversary Team for fall sports.
Matt Spring '02
Spring won the 2001 MAAC Cross Country Championship with a time of 25:21.86, leading Manhattan to a tie with Iona for the team crown that year. He was a first-place finisher at the Met Championship that same year, and placed 10th at the NCAA Northeast Regional. He was also named the MAAC 35th Anniversary Team for fall sports in 2016.
Amir Khaghani '19
Khaghani led Manhattan to the Metropolitan team title in 2016 with a third-place finish of 26:24.30. A two-time All-MAAC honoree, he earned a top 10 time in 2018, helping the Jaspers to a second-place team finish. In his senior year, Khaghani was named a CoSIDA Third Team Academic All-American.
Women's Team
Cheryl Simoni '88
Simoni was Manhattan's first MAAC Cross Country individual champion as a senior in 1988, and for 32 years she held the school's fastest Van Cortlandt Park 5K time. A COSIDA Academic All-American, she was inducted into the Manhattan Hall of Fame in 2001.
Kathy Giovanniello '87
Giovanniello co-captained Manhattan's 1986 Hall of Fame cross country squad, the first to win a MAAC Championship. She ranks 12th in program history with a VCP 5K time of 18:45.
Edith Vilardi '89
Vilardi holds the Jaspers' third-fastest 5K time, coming in at 17:46 at the 1986 ECAC Championship. She was also a member of the 1986 Hall of Fame induction team.
Petra Huetteman '92
Huetteman won the 1991 MAAC Cross Country Championship, with a time if 18:48.25. Her 17:30 5K time at the 1991 ECAC Championships also ranks second in program history.
Lisa Fajardo '19
Fajardo holds the school record for the VCP 5K course (17:53.77), setting the standard at the 2018 Fordham Fiasco. She earned All-MAAC honors in each year of her collegiate career and won the 2018 Metropolitan Championship.
The MAAC 40th Anniversary Track and Field Teams were announced
July 23 (indoor) and
August 19 (outdoor). To stay up to date with all MAAC 40th Anniversary Teams and information follow @MAACSports on
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