Ed Bowes, the legendary Bishop Loughlin High School coach, founded the Manhattan College Cross Country Invitational in 1973 and served as Meet Director for 44 years.

Bowes, who played a major role in adding girls cross country and track & field competitions to the New York Catholic League, also created the first Girls Eastern States Championship race that’s become a feature of his Manhattan College Cross Country Invitational.

Bowes, a Manhattan College Hall of Fame runner, always believed his greatest legacy was the creation of the Manhattan College Cross Country Invitational. Starting with a modest goal of staging a meet for local high school runners, he quickly created “the biggest and best” scholastic high school meet in the nation across the fabled Van Cortlandt Park course.