Plattsburgh State Women's Cross Country

2007 NCAA Runners-Up and Regional Co-Champions

Oct. 4, 2008

Cardinals Post Strong Showing at Geneseo Invitational

MOUNT MORRIS, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State women's cross country team placed second behind nationally No. 8-ranked Geneseo in the 17-team Geneseo Invitational on Saturday at Letchworth State Park. The Cardinals had three Top 20 finishes to score 81 points--five more than third-place Rochester. The Blue Knights had seven runners--including all five scorers--in the Top 15 for 25 points. COMPLETE MEET RESULTS

Jennifer Schaffhouser led Plattsburgh with a fifth-place showing overall, covering the 6-kilometer course in 22 minutes and 46 seconds, followed by Jen Modzel (18th overall, 24:02), Jen Taft (19th, 24:04), Colleen Cotey (22nd, 24:08) and Martha Brown (26th, 24:20). Stefanie Braun, who was 31st overall in 24:26, and Krystal Yernye, 44th in 25:03, rounded out the effort for the Cardinals, but didn't figure into the team scoring.

"This was a different women's team than what we saw last weekend, when we were tired and nervous at Saint Lawrence," Plattsburgh coach John Lynch said. "Today, we let our fitness do the talking and the total time for our top five individuals added up to 3 minutes faster than the previous weekend. To show the improvement, our second runner last weekend ran 24 minutes and 37 seconds compared to the sixth woman who ran 24:26 this weekend.

"This team has a lot of potential and we still have six weeks to fine-tune it," he said.

Laura Iafrati won the individual title for Geneseo with a time of 22:16.

Sep. 27, 2008

Cardinals Finish 8th at Atlantic Preview Meet

CANTON, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State women's cross country squad was eighth out of 15 team entries at Saturday's Ronald C. Hoffmann Invitational hosted by St. Lawrence University. The meet also served as a preview for the NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional Championships in two months, also to be held here on the Ronald C. Hoffmann Cross Country Course. COMPLETE MEET RESULTS

The Cardinals, who totaled 234 points, were led by Jennifer Schaffhouser who was the 10th collegiate runner and 12th overall to cross the finish line in 22 minutes and 52 seconds for 6 kilometers.

"Despite running what I thought was a subpar meet for us, we still held on to our No. 8 regional ranking. I just would have liked to have seen us be closer to the teams in front of us," Plattsburgh coach John Lynch said. "With a young team that happens from time to time, though. We were running on dead legs after our strenuous workout on Wednesday.

"I would expect us to rebound next weekend at Geneseo now that we have adjusted to racing a 6K instead of 5K. As a result, I think we should produce much faster times in the near future."

Also figuring in the Plattsburgh team score were Stefanie Braun (54th overall, 24:38), Colleen Cotey (60th, 24:51), Jen Modzel (73rd, 25:06) and Jen Taft (76th, 25:09). Braun's time is the second-fastest ever by a Plattsburgh freshman for a 6K event.

"Jenny's our captain and she ran a great individual race even though she felt off of her game today," Lynch said. "Her time ended up being her second-best ever, trailing only her freshman record of 24:18 set two years ago."

Sister State University of New York Athletic Conference school Geneseo won the team title with 60 points. Kelly Young of the Ottawa Lions was the top individual in 21:56, and Wendy Pavlus of the home team Saints was the first collegian in 22:02.

Sep. 22, 2008

Schaffhouser Earns SUNYAC Kudos

FREDONIA, N.Y. - Plattsburgh State women's cross country standout Jennifer Schaffhouser is the State University of New York Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week, for the period ending Sunday. Schaffhouser is a junior from Richford (Newark Valley High School).

Schaffhouser won the individual title at the Oneonta Airfield Invitational, finishing the 4,500-kilometer course in 16 minutes and 52 seconds. The meet marked her first career victory. The Cardinals were second out of nine teams, beating No. 24 nationally ranked Cortland and Division II Mansfield.

Schaffhouser also received top billing from the SUNYAC on Sep. 8.

Sep. 21, 2008

Schaffhouser Captures Oneonta Airfield Invitational Title

ONEONTA, N.Y. - Junior Jennifer Schaffhouser won the individual title at the Oneonta State Airfield Invitational held at Fortin Park in Oneonta, where the Plattsburgh State women's cross country team finished second behind Hamilton over the weekend. The Cardinals took scoring places of 1, 11, 14, 18 and 19 to net 63 points--seven behind the Continentals' 56. Plattsburgh defeated NCAA Division II Mansfield (68 points, 3rd) and Division III's No. 24-ranked and sister conference foe Cortland (80, 4th) in the process. COMPLETE MEET RESULTS

Schaffhouser covered the 4,500-meter course in 16 minutes and 52 seconds. Other teammates who figured into the scoring were Colleen Cotey (17:50, 11th), Jen Taft (17:53, 14th), Jen Modzel (18:01, 18th) and Stefanie Braun (18:02, 19th).

Sep. 14, 2008

RPI Meet Added, Boston Mayor's Cup Dropped

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - Plattsburgh State cross country coach John Lynch has announced that the Cardinals have replaced the Boston Mayor's Cup (Oct. 26) with the Oct. 25 Saratoga Invitational hosted by Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute in Saratoga Springs. The start times for the new meet are 11:30 a.m. for men and 12:30 p.m. for the women's race.

Sep. 12, 2008

Schaffhouser Also Honored by ECAC

CENTERVILLE, Mass. - In addition to being the State University of New York Athletic Conference Runner of the Week, Plattsburgh State junior Jennifer Schaffhouser is also the Eastern College Athletic Conference Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week for Division III.

Schaffhouser (Richford, N.Y.) finished second at the 27th annual Cardinal Classic 5K. She ran a season best time of 19 minutes and 5 seconds, which was instrumental in pushing the unranked Cardinals to an upset of No. 14 Middlebury College.

Sep. 8, 2008

Schaffhouser Picked SUNYAC's Top Athlete this Week

FREDONIA, N.Y. - The State University of New York Athletic Conference announced on Monday that Plattsburgh State junior Jennifer Schaffhouser (Richford/Newark Valley High School) is the runner of the week in women's cross country.

Schaffhouser was Plattsburgh's first runner and second overall in the 27th annual Cardinal Classic on Saturday, crossing the 5K finish line in a season's best time of 19 minutes and 5 seconds. She was instrumental in keeping her teammates as a pack, pushing the unranked Cardinals to an upset of No. 14 nationally rated Middlebury in the team standings.

Sep. 6, 2008

Cardinals Top No. 14 Middlebury for Classic Crown

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - The unranked Plattsburgh State women's cross country team captured its own Cardinal Classic championship on Saturday by virtue of a tiebreaker, defeating 14th-ranked Middlebury in the process. The Cardinals and Panthers were tied in the team standings with 28 points, but Plattsburgh was declared the team champion because its sixth-place competitor crossed the finish line before Middlebury's sixth-place finisher. COMPLETE MEET RESULTS

Rounding out the team scores were Clarkson in third place with 96 points and Norwich was fourth with 100.

Middlebury's Alexandra Krieg took top individual honors by navigating the 5-kilometer course in 18 minutes and 57 seconds. She finished fourth overall at last year's NCAA Division III Championships, earning All-America accolades.

Jennifer Schaffhouser was Plattsburgh's top finisher and second overall today, clocking in at 19:05. 5 Martha Brown (20:07), Jen Taft (20:13), Colleen Cotey (20:18) and Stefanie Braun (20:20) occupied spots 5 through 8 to round out the scoring for the Cardinals.

Jen Modzel (20:23) was the hero for the Cardinals as the team's sixth-place finisher, edging the Panthers Grace Giles by five seconds. Modzel ran 1:10 faster than she did at last weekend's Battle of the North Country meet.

"I was very pleased to see every woman run faster than last week--and most by over 30 seconds. Our top 5 average time was 36 seconds faster than last weekend," said Plattsburgh coach John Lynch, referring to the Battle of the North Country meet. "Freshmen Martha Brown, Colleen Cotey and Stefanie Braun had outstanding races, and they were encouraged by their captains Jen Taft and Jen Modzel who finished in the same pack."

Aug. 30, 2008

Cardinals Host Battle of the North Country Meet

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. - Junior Jennifer Schaffhouser (pictured, right) had a third-place scoring-finish to pace the season opener of the Plattsburgh State women's cross country team in the Battle of the North Country here at the Field House Rugar Woods on Saturday. Schaffhouser, who was fourth overall, recorded a time of 19 minutes and 11.2 seconds. Visiting Saint Lawrence took six of the top seven individual places to score 18 points while the Cardinals had 41. Saints sophomore Wendy Pavlus won individual honors, covering the 5-kilometer trail in 18:48.9.

"We definitely performed well today. We were in a dual meet up against some great competition in SLU and our team ran strong," Plattsburgh coach John Lynch said. "Jenny (Schaffhouser) had over a minute improvement from last year and showed that she can be a leader out on the course. I think we should be proud of the way we ran when we compare it to our 3K time trial results just a week ago...results are a lot better today."

Freshman Colleen Cotey was the second Plattsburgh runner across the finish line for eighth overall in 20:45.6. Senior Jen Taft (20:55.6, 9th), freshman Martha Brown (21:04.3, 10th) and Stefanie Braun (21:07.8, 11th) also scored for the Cardinals.

"Colleen, Martha and Stefanie are all good newcomers who contributed to our score today, and will continue to move up as they battle the adjustment to college. Jen had an improvement over last year as well," he said.

TOP RUNNERS: PLACE, SCORE, FINISHER, TIME, PACE, TEAM
1, 1, Wendy Pavlus, So, 18:48.9, 6:04, St. Lawrence
2, 2, Johannah Ludington, Jr, 19:02.4, 6:09, St. Lawrence
3, 0, Alyssa Recny, 19:04.3, 6:09, Unattached
4, 3, Jennifer Schaffhouser, Jr, 19:11.2, 6:11, Plattsburgh
5, 4, Jenna Hulton, Fr, 19:19.2, 6:14, St. Lawrence
6, 5, Cassie DiMarino, Fr, 19:50.1, 6:24, St. Lawrence
7, 6, Hilary St. John, Jr, 20:07.9, 6:30, St. Lawrence
8, 7, Jenny Kaagan, Fr, 20:29.6, 6:37, St. Lawrence
9, 8, Colleen Cotey, Fr, 20:45.6, 6:42 Plattsburgh
10, 9, Jen Taft, Sr, 20:55.6, 6:45, Plattsburgh

June 25, 2008

Senior Trio Tabbed for ESPN The Magazine Accolades

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Plattsburgh State led the nation, regardless of division, with three selections on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America women's track & field and cross country teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). That announcement was made on Wednesday by Vice Chair Bernadette Cafarelli, who is the sports information director at the University of Notre Dame. Seniors Allison Busby, Toni Wiszowaty each made the College Division Second Team while Alyssa Recny placed on the Third Team. COMPLETE CoSIDA RELEASE

With the trio's selection, it marked the first time in school history that the Cardinals produced three CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in a single academic year. Before this year, men's hockey player Niklaus Sundberg in 2002 was the last Cardinal to earn this award when he was named second-team Men's At-Large. Plattsburgh, the only school in the SUNY system to have a recipient on the women's track & field and cross country teams, now moves into fourth place all-time among State University of New York Athletic Conference institutions with seven CoSIDA Academic All-America winners.

Busby (New Paltz/Vestal Seton Catholic High School) was a second-team academic all-district choice as a junior before jumping to the first team this season and receiving national consideration. She earned All-America honors with an 8th-place finish last fall after helping the Cardinals to the national runner-up trophy at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. She carries a 3.94 overall GPA as a nutrition major, winning the 2008 Richard D. Semmler Award to honor the highest GPA for a female senior student-athlete at Plattsburgh.

Wiszowaty, of Shirley (William Floyd HS), was ranked No. 1 in the nation in the 10K and No. 3 in the 5K, but couldn't compete in the NCAA Outdoor Track Championships due to injury. She won the 10K race at the famous Penn Relays in 33 minutes and 57 seconds that set an Olympic Trials "B" standard, SUNYAC and school records and ranks in the Top 5 all-time for Division III. A 2008 NCAA Woman of the Year nominee, the six-time All-American captained the cross country team to its best NCAA showing in school history, placed second at the regional meet and helped the Cardinals to their first-ever Atlantic Regional title. The elementary education (English) major has a 3.95 GPA, and was an Oak Street Elementary School Mentor in Plattsburgh this year.

An AuSable Valley Central HS product from Keeseville, Recny is a two-time All-American this academic year after taking 25th place at the Division III cross country meet and winding up fifth in the NCAA 10,000-meter run for outdoor track. Like Busby, a member of the Scholar All-America Team from the U.S. Track&Field Cross Country Coaches Association, Recny has compiled a 3.93 GPA as an English language arts major. She has volunteered over 100 hours of community service teaching art to Keeseville Elementary students.

All three women have helped raise money for the Special Olympics of Clinton and Essex counties and American Cancer Society's Race Against Cancer meet.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.

ESPN The Magazine--winner of the 2006 and 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence--is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.9 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports.

For more information about the Academic All-America Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com or e-mail rlipe@bentley.edu .

Coach's Corner from Head Coach John Lynch

"Plattsburgh State Cross Country and hard work go hand-in-hand. The student-athletes here at Plattsburgh are dedicated to the classroom, and to making themselves better runners. The commitment by the distance runners has led to many high performances both academically and athletically. The Cross Country teams consistently raise the bar of success each year and take advantage of the given opportunity to perform at a high level. Freshmen and newcomers improve through consistently applying a high effort. Plattsburgh State is a program that looks at the long-term goals for all of its athletes.

Reaching Full Potential

Plattsburgh State Women's Cross Country continues to be a program whose student-athletes strive to reach their full potential. Since 1990, 28 Cardinal runners have broken the 20-minute mark in competition, including 16 sub-19-minute performances and a team-best 17:18 mark by Toni Wiszowaty, set in 2006. Also, since the NCAA championship Meet went to a distance of 6 kilometers seven Cardinals have broken 24 minutes and five have been under 23 minutes. The team's best time, held by Wiszowaty, is at 21:21.

As a team, the Cardinals last won the State University of New York Athletic Conference championship in 1999, but have sent several runners to the NCAA Championship meet. Nine Cardinals have earned SUNYAC Cross Country Hall of Fame honors, and six have received the highest honor in our sport--All-America status--with Busby tabbed in 2005 and 2007, Wiszowaty in 2006 and 2007, and Alyssa Recny in 2007.

In addition, Plattsburgh State has qualified as a team for the NCAA Championships: placing 26th in 2006 and second for a school record in 2007.

The women's cross country team, like all intercollegiate athletics teams at Plattsburgh State, focuses on a commitment to competitive excellence, academic achievement and community service. They have excelled in this area earning the Plattsburgh State Vision Award in 2006 and 2007.

To find out more information about the cross country program, please log on to the team's unofficial website at: http://faculty.plattsburgh.edu/john.lynch

Contact Information

For more information about Cross Country at Plattsburgh State, please contact:

Head Coach: John Lynch
Phone: (518) 564-4145
E-mail: john.lynch@plattsburgh.edu

Plattsburgh State Women's Cross Country

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