Cross Country Gets Season Started Saturday At Marist

Saturday, September 1

Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

9:00 AM

Columbia

Marist Season Opener

Cross Country Gets Season Started Saturday At Marist

8/30/2018 11:51:00 AM | Cross Country

2018 Roster 2018 Schedule

The 2018 Columbia Cross Country season begins Saturday when the Lions trek to Poughkeepsie for the Marist Season Opener.

NEW YORK – The 2018 season for the Columbia cross country teams opens up Saturday, when the Lions trek to Poughkeepsie for the Marist Season Opener.

Both the men and women are coming off successful seasons in 2017, which sets the bar high this fall.

Men's Preview
With a trio of All-Ivy League performers returning in 2018, including two on the first team, the Columbia men match Princeton for the most all-conference returners from 2017.

While 2018 grad and 2017 cross country Heps Champion Ryan Thomas will have to be replaced, seniors Brian Zabilski and Lucky Schreiner along with junior Kenny Vasbinder have the ability to do so.

Zabilski enters his final season having found success in all three seasons during his first three years. As a rookie, the Saugus, California, native was an All-Ivy League performer at Outdoor Heps in the spring, before coming back his sophomore year to earn second team All-Ivy honors in cross country. Zabilski qualified for the 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championships as an individual, then claimed seventh place at Cross Country Heps last year to earn first team honors. He also went on to win a conference title this past spring as the first across the line in the 10,000m run at Outdoor Heps.

Schreiner had a breakout season in 2017-18, impressing both on the course and on the track. During the fall, Schreiner was a second team All-Ivy League performer in cross country, finishing one spot behind Zabilski in eighth. During the spring, the Gilbert, Arizona, product took second at Outdoor Heps in the 5,000m, behind only Thomas, later advancing to the NCAA East Prelims in the event.

For Vasbinder, a trio of All-Ivy honors in 2017-18 made him a threat on the cross country course, on the indoor track, and during the outdoor season. In the fall, Vasbinder was a first team All-Ivy performer, taking fifth at Heps to earn all-conference honors for the second straight year. The East Aurora, New York, native followed that up with his first career Ivy League title during the indoor season, coming from behind to take the tape in the 5,000m run. In the spring, only Zabilski could best him in the 10,000m at Outdoor Heps, as he was a second team All-Ivy performer.

Columbia will be senior heavy on the men's side, as Tyler Italiano, Dan Schumacher, and Chris Thompson return after competing at the 2017 Cross Country Heps.

Women's Preview
The 2017 Ivy League champions in cross country have a pair of departed All-Ivy League seniors to replace, but had plenty of depth a season ago.

Although Nell Crosby, who was fourth at Cross Country Heps in 2017, had a big part in Columbia winning its first conference crown in 12 seasons, the Lions grabbing places 14-18 in the race gave the team a leg up on the field.

Two of those returners, Erin Gregoire and Bianca Alonzo, bid to be vital in helping Columbia repeat in 2018.

Gregoire gained a lot of experience in 2017-18, starting with the fall season. The senior was 16th at Heps, then helped Columbia to a 28th place team finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. In the spring, the Beaverton, Oregon, native advanced to the NCAA East Prelims in the 5,000m run, taking second during the IC4A/ECAC Championships, and fourth at Outdoor Heps.

Alonzo was impressive during all three seasons a year ago, winning a pair of Ivy League titles. In the fall, Alonzo was 15th at Outdoor Heps, helping Columbia hoist an Ivy League trophy and advance to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. During the winter, the Los Angeles native was part of the distance medley relay team that earned an Ancient Eight crown. At Outdoor Heps, Alonzo scored points in the 800m run by finishing fourth, then was a second team All-Ivy runner in the 4x800m relay.

Junior Abby McLaughlin and senior Libby Kokes are also going to be important factors to Columbia's chances of repeating as champions in 2018. McLaughlin has advanced to the NCAA East Prelims in both the 5,000m and 10,000m during her first two seasons, where Kokes competed for the first time last year in the 1,5000m, adding to her resume which contained a pair of Ivy League relay titles.

Season Schedule
After the Marist meet, Columbia will run on its home course for the first of three races on Friday, Sept. 14, at the Iona Meet of Champions. The Lions return to the Wisconsin Nuttycombe Invitational on Friday, Sept. 28, with Lehigh's Paul Short Run on the schedule the following day.

The Mets Championships and Princeton Invitational take place Oct. 12 and 13, respectively, as the final two races before Ivy Heps. The Tigers will play host to Heps this year on Saturday, Oct. 27. After that, Columbia heads to Buffalo for the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships on Nov. 9, with the IC4A/ECAC Championships and NCAA Championships both falling on Nov. 17.