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RIVERDALE, NY - Iona College men's cross country sophomore Ryan Sheridan finished first and led the Gaels to their 19th straight MAAC Championship this afternoon at Van Cortlandt Park. Sheridan cruised to a four second win as the Maroon & Gold had seven of the top nine finishers in the race.

Sheridan finished the 8k course in 25:37.1. Freshman Thorsten Baumeister (25:41.5) was second overall topping teammate Alexander Soderberg (25:42.1) by less than a second as the two hustled down the stretch. Loyola's Dan McDevitt split the Gaels five scorers in fourth place. Sophomores Leonard Korir (25:59.2) and Doug Holt (26:03.9) were fifth and sixth to round out Iona's scorers. Junior Josh Hibbs and senior Joe Parks were also part of the top 10 finishers crossing the line in eighth and ninth respectively.

The Gaels 19th straight MAAC Championship represents the second longest active streak in NCAA Division I. The University of Portland challenges for its 31st straight West Coast Conference tomorrow afternoon in Belmont, CA. Iona's 17 team points topped Marist by 40. Rider came in third and was followed by Manhattan and Fairfield. The 17 points matched the Gaels performance at Van Cortlandt Park in 2007 at the MAAC Championships. Last year at Disney World, the Maroon & Gold raced to a perfect score of 15.

Iona is back in action in two weeks (Nov. 14) as they look to continue another streak, a fifth straight Northeast Regional title. This year's race takes place at Franklin Park in Boston, MA.

2009 MAAC Cross Country Championships
Van Cortlandt Park - Riverdale, NY
October 30, 2009 - 8k

Iona Finishers
Pl. Name                  Cl.    Time
1.  Ryan Sheridan         JR  25:37.1
2.  Thorsten Baumeister   FR  25:41.5
3.  Alexander Soderberg   SO  25:42.1
5.  Leonard Korir         SO  25:59.2
6.  Doug Holt             JR  26:03.9
8.  Josh Hibbs            SR  26:18.7
9.  Joe Parks             SR  26:36.0
20. Colin Culhane         SO  27:21.1
22. Steve Wood            JR  27:22.0
26. Jared Welsh           JR  27:33.3
30. Ronald Graves         SO  27:43.3
46. Tim Leonard           SR  28:24.1

Team Scores
Pl. School         Pts
1.  Iona College    17
2.  Marist          57
3.  Rider          115
4.  Manhattan      125
5.  Fairfield      141
6.  Loyola         147
7.  Canisius       168
8.  Niagara        200
9.  Siena          266

Top 20 Performers
Pl. Name                  Cl. School           Time
1.  Ryan Sheridan         JR  Iona College  25:37.1
2.  Thorsten Baumeister   FR  Iona College  25:41.5
3.  Alexander Soderberg   SO  Iona College  25:42.1
4.  Dan McDevitt          SR  Loyola        25:49.3
5.  Leonard Korir         SO  Iona College  25:59.2
6.  Doug Holt             JR  Iona College  26:03.9
7.  Adam Vess             SO  Marist        26:14.2
8.  Josh Hibbs            SR  Iona College  26:18.7
9.  Joe Parks             SR  Iona College  26:36.0
10. William Griffin       SO  Marist        26:36.9
11. Mathew Flint          SO  Marist        26:41.9
12. Christian Gonzalez    JR  Rider         26:49.3
13. Michael Soroko        JR  Rider         26:56.9
14. Ariquimedes DelaCruz  FR  Marist        27:00.2
15. Conor Shelley         SR  Marist        27:04.8
16. Benjamin Heslin       JR  Fairfield     27:06.3
17. Zack Price            JR  Manhattan     27:14.8
18. Timothy Keegan        JR  Marist        27:17.2
19. Vasilis Kariolis      SR  Canisius      27:18.9
20. Colin Culhane         SO  Iona College  27:21.1
22. Steve Wood            JR  Iona College  27:22.0
26. Jared Welsh           JR  Iona College  27:33.3
30. Ronald Graves         SO  Iona College  27:43.3
46. Tim Leonard           SR  Iona College  28:24.1