EDISON, NJ (Oct. 31, 2024) – The 2024 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Fall Championship season officially begins this weekend on Saturday, November 2 with the cross country championships. The 2024 MAAC Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Championships will be held at Twin Ponds on the Farm in Montgomery, New York with Manhattan University serving as the host. Saturday’s meet will be the second straight year the MAAC championships are held at Twin Ponds on the Farm, and it will mark the 30th time Manhattan has hosted the cross country championship races.
 
Championship Saturday will begin with the men’s 8k race at 11:00 a.m. followed by the women’s 6k race at 12:00 p.m.
 
The event will commence on the men’s side, with 33-time defending champion Iona University, looking to continue its three-decade reign at the championship and extend its NCAA record to 34 consecutive MAAC crowns. The Gaels have secured the MAAC trophy every season dating back 1991 and the program has claimed a MAAC-leading 38 total men’s titles since the inaugural MAAC championship in 1981. Iona has six 2023 All-MAAC returners on the lineup, which include Lachlan Wellington (3^rd), Nick Soldevere (4^th), Matt Rankin (5^th), Tadhg Donnelly (8^th), Aiden Coles (11^th), and Scott Fagan (15^th). Siena College will look to challenge Iona for the third straight season following another second-place finish at the 2023 championship. The Saints have a pair of returning All-MAAC members in Jackson Cayward and Tyler Greene. Cayward was last season’s championship runner-up and Greene finished 13^th on the leaderboard. Additional key runners to watch for on the men’s side are returning All-MAAC selections in Niagara’s Braden York and Rider’s Tamrat Synder.
 
The women’s 6k race will begin at high noon with two-time defending MAAC champion, Quinnipiac University, seeking the program’s fourth conference title overall. The Bobcats return the most 2023 All-MAAC selections, led by their trio of Corinne Barney (3^rd), Alessandra Zaffina (4^th), and Rachel St. Germain (6^th). Iona will look to dethrone Quinnipiac and return to the top of the MAAC for the first time since 2021 after finishing as the runner-up a season ago. The Gaels bring back 2023 Most Outstanding Runner and MAAC Individual champion, Tayla Gunton along with All-MAAC honoree Madison Klein (7^th). Other key runners to keep an eye on for the women include All-MAAC selections, Parker O'Brien from Marist, 2023 Most Outstanding Rookie Maddie Dischert of Rider, and Siena’s Julia Caputo.
 
For all information regarding the 2024 MAAC Men's & Women’s Cross Country Championships, please visit maacsports.com/xc.
 
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 44th year of competition during the 2024-25 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist College, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
 
Stay up to date with the MAAC on social media by following @MAACSports on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Threads or visit MAACSports.com for all the latest MAAC news.