The St. Thomas Aquinas College cross country teams made a statement in their opening race by being the first to cross the line on both the men's and women's sides.  Senior captain, Einar Brissing coasted to the win on the 5K course at Tallman Park in 17:16.  He was closely followed by fellow senior Vinny Modaferri, who held on to a second place finish in 17:37.  Despite their strong efforts, the men missed a top finish by a mere two points, falling to Bloomfield College.  The Lady Spartans showed a great deal of improvement in their first competition with strong finishes throughout the group.  Sophomore Sarah Callagy, lead the field, crossing the line in 20:16. She was followed closely by classmate Chelsea Klinger who notched a third place finish and personal best 21:19.

Despite losing Elmer Eckert, Rafael Ortiz and Andrew Gangemi to graduation (three scorers from last year's ECC 3rd place squad), the men's cross country team is back and ready to step back into competition.  Brissing and Modaferi, the returning scorers, have received support from senior sprinter Chris Muniz.  Muniz finished in 9th place in 19:09, almost two minutes faster than his 5K time from a year ago.  Freshman James Patton also brings a plethora of talent and will prove to be a key element of the team's success as the season progresses.  The Spartans have high expectations for junior returner Dan Nilsen, who also recorded a personal best today as well as sophomore Matt Muniz.  Benael John-Rose, another freshman, rounds out the roster and will give a viable option as a scorer throughout the season.  STAC finished today's meet with a total score of 36 which placed them in second behind Bloomfield (34), but ahead of cross town rival Nyack (54).

After showing promise in the 2008 season, the Lady Spartans are ready to take the stage this season.  Callagy returns to the squad after missing the majority of last season due to stress fractures.  She had a strong finish last year despite only competing in three races. In her 2009 debut, she took the lead early on and never gave it up.  Klinger kept her in sight for the majority of the run, and helped to set the tone for the upcoming year.  This one-two combination can prove to be vital as STAC moves into the bigger races.  Sophomore Lisa Brevogel finished in 24:02, placing her in 9th while transfer Andrea Riquelme finished in 25:48 in her first collegiate competition.  Senior Ashley Toscano (21st) and freshman Kelsey Scardera also made a strong showing for the Lady Spartans.

The STAC Cross Country team will have one weekend off before returning to competition to Saturday, September 12th at C.W. Post.