BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, NEW YORK---The St. Francis College men’s & women’s cross country squad will open up the season today, as they participate in the Fordham Invite which is going to be held in Van Cortlandt Park, in the Bronx, New York.
Head Coach Kyle Brown was busy this past offseason, recruiting some tremendous local talent to help via for a Northeast Conference championship. With the leadership of seniors Sean Lynch (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter’s Boys HS) and Frank Pineiro (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Ford HS), along with junior Thomas McKernan (Staten Island, NY/Xaverian), this year’s squad is younger and determined to make a statement in the Northeast Conference.
Sophomore Rafal Ksepka, fresh off a tremendous freshman season, will be interesting to watch in his second year. New to the men’s team this year are Frankelly Fernandez, a pair of twins in Joseph and Paul Gilhuley along with Brian Nersten. With the exception of Nersten, the freshman trio each have ran for Bishop Ford High School and are looking to take that continuity over to St. Francis.
On the woman’s side, the majority of team is comprised of seniors and juniors as Jeannette Dobosz (Brooklyn, NY/Martin Luther), Kerrie Harnisher (Queens, NY/Stella Maris), and Jasmine Murdock-Hicks (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Loughlin) comprise the senior faction. Junior Atoya Webb, Alexandra De La Cruz, and Tiffany Spivey form the back-bone of the team.
Coach Brown added freshman Mary Gallagher, a native of Brooklyn, New York from Bishop Kearney High School. Gallagher, while at Kearney, was the Brooklyn/Queens Champion during her freshman year. In her sophomore, junior and senior years, she qualified for the State Championships.
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By: Brian D. Morales (Sports Information Assistant, Assistant SID)