new york university national champions
An Introduction to
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY Men’s Cross Country
2007 NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
Head Coach NICK McDONOUGH 10th Season • Syracuse University (‘92) B.S. in Political Science Even before his squad captured the 2007 NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championship, the first in the storied history of New York University cross country and track and field, Nick McDonough had already established the Violets among the upper echelon of men’s cross country and track and field programs nationally. Prior to hoisting the national championship hardware on Nov. 17, NYU had captured its second straight University Athletic Association (UAA) and NCAA Division III Atlantic Region crowns. In addition, McDonough, the 2007 U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Coach of the Year, mentored a pair of All-Americans in senior Hany Abdallah, a three-time honoree, and junior Jesse Schneider, now a two-time All-America. The stage for the team’s success in 2007 was set the previous season when the Violets finished as the national runner-up at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship and captured their first-ever UAA and NCAA Division III Atlantic Region crowns. The squad also produced a program-record four All-Americans as senior Jon Phillips (13th place), Abdallah (14th), Schneider (22nd), and junior Ryan Williams (29th) were each among the top-35 national finishers. Thus, it was no surprise when McDonough was selected Division III Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. The success story continued for McDonough’s athletes in the winter and spring, as the Violets tied their all-time best with a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships. NYU boasted six All-Americans in three events: Phillips (2nd, 5,000 meters), the distance medley relay (5th: sophomore Bernier Lauredan, Jr., seniors James McCarthy and Dan Napiecek, Williams), and Abdallah (6th, 5,000m). During the spring, McDonough led the Violets to a 27th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Abdallah took home two All-America certificates (4th place, 10,000m; 6th place, 5,000m), while Williams earned All-American status in the 5,000m (7th place). Abdallah and Willliams became the first Violets to earn All-America status in all three seasons (cross country, indoor and outdoor). McDonough’s teams also produced outstanding results in the classroom, as the cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field teams featured 48 UAA All-Academic honorees. In 2004-05, McDonough’s cross country
squad finished third at the Atlantic Regional and at the UAA Championship. Abdallah won the individual title at the UAA and went on to earn All-America honors with his ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championship. During the indoor campaign, McDonough helped guide Andrew Tonniges to two UAA victories (5,000m, mile) and to the Most Outstanding Performer award at the UAA Indoor Championships. In 2003-04, the Violets flourished under McDonough, placing 10th at the NCAA Indoor Championships while producing NYU’s first national champion in 35 years, as Krisztian Majdik won the triple jump with a school-record leap of 15.00m (49’2-1/2”). Majdik also earned All-America honors in the long jump with a fourthplace finish. Meanwhile, the Violets qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championship for the first time since becoming a Division III program in 1982. In 1999, McDonough produced NYU’s first Division III cross country All-American, Moti Margolin. McDonough came to NYU after six years as an assistant coach at Seton Hall University. While there, he coached numerous Big East Conference champions, six IC4A champions, an American record-setting distance medley relay team in 1994, and six NCAA Division I All-Americans (two in cross country). Additionally, McDonough has varied experience as a race manager and director, working on races such as the NYC Gotham Cup, as well as the Spring Lake Five and the George Sheehan 10k Classic, which are two of the top-50 road races in the U.S. McDonough brought extensive professional and personal experience to the NYU program. As an athlete, he helped lead the Syracuse University cross country program for four years and was named captain as a senior. On the track, he was a member of the Orangemen’s 1992 Big East Championship team, anchoring the relay that clinched the meet. As a high school runner at Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, New Jersey, McDonough was part of a winning distance medley relay at the Penn Relays and competed at the prestigious Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City. He continues to train and can usually be found running with his student-athletes. A native of Point Pleasant, NJ, McDonough resides in Interlaken, NJ.
ONE SHINING MOMENT: NYU WINS THE 2007 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP The New York University men’s cross country team won its first-ever NCAA Division III National Championship, besting a crowded field at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, on Saturday, Nov. 17. Running in blustery winter conditions over the 8,000-meter course, the Violets had five finishers among the top-53, including senior Hany Abdallah, who took ninth place in a time of 24:51.3. “It was a quintessential team effort,” said junior Jesse Schneider, who finished in 21st place in 25:05.5. Both Abdallah and Schneider earned All-America honors for finishing among the top25. It wasn’t until about 10 minutes after the last of the race’s 280 runners crossed the finish line that the final team scores were posted. Atop that 32-team leaderboard was NYU with 128 points. “We ran the best we could and I knew we had a chance, but I had no idea where we were in the final standings until our name went up on the screen,” admitted head coach Nick McDonough. “Last year, we scored 92 points and came in second. This year we won with 128. It was a war. A real war.” The Violets earned the victory on the strength of their depth. Senior Spenser Popeson was NYU’s third finisher, taking 46th place in a time of 25:22.1. Senior James McCarthy was next in 47th (25:22.7), with senior Ryan Williams not far behind (53rd place, 25:27.0). McCarthy and Popeson saved their best for the last mile. McCarthy moved up 14 spots down the stretch, while Popeson gained six spots. The seniors’ final efforts ultimately helped the Violets distance themselves from the pack. While the victory was never certain, it wound up being pretty comfortable, with secondplace Haverford College finishing with 150 points. “You don’t know what it’s like, what you will feel when you win a national championship,” Abdallah said. “It’s weird. It was just a great surprise and an indescribable feeling.”
2007-08 SCHEDULE CROSS COUNTRY
Sat. Sat. Sat. Sat. Sat. Sat. Sat. Sat.
9/1 9/15 9/22 10/5 10/13 10/27 11/10 11/17
@Monmouth U. Cross Country Kickoff NYU INVITATIONAL (FAMILY/ALUMNI DAY) @Connecticut College Invitational @Metropolitan Championship @U. of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Brooks Invitational @UAA Championship (@Brandeis University) NCAA DIVISION III ATLANTIC REGIONALS @NCAA Division III Championship (@St. Olaf College)
First Place First Place First Place First Place First Place First Place First Place First Place
Fri. Fri. Fri. Fri. Sat. Sat. Fri. Fri./Sat. Fri./Sat.
1/11 1/18 1/25 2/1 2/9 2/23 2/29 3/7-8 3/14-15
@Fordham University Invitational @NYC Gotham Cup @Boston University Terrier Invitational @Metropolitan Championships @Boston U. Valentine Invitational @TBA NYU FASTRACK INVITATIONAL @UAA Championships (@Case Western Reserve University) @NCAA Division III Championships (@Ohio Northern University)
Mon./Sat. Fri./Sat. Fri. Sat. Sat. Sat./Sun. Thu./Fri. Fri. Mon. Fri. Thu./Sat.
3/17-22 3/28-29 4/4 4/5 4/12 4/19-20 4/25-26 5/9 5/12 5/16 5/22-24
@Spring Break Trip (Site: TBA) @Raleigh Relays (@North Carolina State University) @Stanford University Invitational @University of Pennsylvania Invitational @The College of New Jersey Invitational @UAA Championships (@University of Chicago) @114th Annual Penn Relays Carnival (@University of Pennsylvania) @The College of New Jersey Qualifier @Swarthmore College Last Chance Meet @IC4A Championships (@Princeton University) @NCAA Division III Championships (@University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh)
INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
All Home Meets in CAPS
OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
10:00 am 2:00 pm 10:00 am 10:00 am 10:00 am TBA 4:00 pm 9:00 am 9:00 am TBA 10:00 am 4:00 pm 10:00 am 10:00 am 11:00 am 11:00 am 2:00 pm 3:00 pm 9:00 am 11:00 am
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY Men’s Cross Country
2007 NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
Head Coach NICK McDONOUGH 10th Season • Syracuse University (‘92) B.S. in Political Science Even before his squad captured the 2007 NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championship, the first in the storied history of New York University cross country and track and field, Nick McDonough had already established the Violets among the upper echelon of men’s cross country and track and field programs nationally. Prior to hoisting the national championship hardware on Nov. 17, NYU had captured its second straight University Athletic Association (UAA) and NCAA Division III Atlantic Region crowns. In addition, McDonough, the 2007 U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association National Coach of the Year, mentored a pair of All-Americans in senior Hany Abdallah, a three-time honoree, and junior Jesse Schneider, now a two-time All-America. The stage for the team’s success in 2007 was set the previous season when the Violets finished as the national runner-up at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship and captured their first-ever UAA and NCAA Division III Atlantic Region crowns. The squad also produced a program-record four All-Americans as senior Jon Phillips (13th place), Abdallah (14th), Schneider (22nd), and junior Ryan Williams (29th) were each among the top-35 national finishers. Thus, it was no surprise when McDonough was selected Division III Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. The success story continued for McDonough’s athletes in the winter and spring, as the Violets tied their all-time best with a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships. NYU boasted six All-Americans in three events: Phillips (2nd, 5,000 meters), the distance medley relay (5th: sophomore Bernier Lauredan, Jr., seniors James McCarthy and Dan Napiecek, Williams), and Abdallah (6th, 5,000m). During the spring, McDonough led the Violets to a 27th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Abdallah took home two All-America certificates (4th place, 10,000m; 6th place, 5,000m), while Williams earned All-American status in the 5,000m (7th place). Abdallah and Willliams became the first Violets to earn All-America status in all three seasons (cross country, indoor and outdoor). McDonough’s teams also produced outstanding results in the classroom, as the cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field teams featured 48 UAA All-Academic honorees. In 2004-05, McDonough’s cross country
squad finished third at the Atlantic Regional and at the UAA Championship. Abdallah won the individual title at the UAA and went on to earn All-America honors with his ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championship. During the indoor campaign, McDonough helped guide Andrew Tonniges to two UAA victories (5,000m, mile) and to the Most Outstanding Performer award at the UAA Indoor Championships. In 2003-04, the Violets flourished under McDonough, placing 10th at the NCAA Indoor Championships while producing NYU’s first national champion in 35 years, as Krisztian Majdik won the triple jump with a school-record leap of 15.00m (49’2-1/2”). Majdik also earned All-America honors in the long jump with a fourthplace finish. Meanwhile, the Violets qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championship for the first time since becoming a Division III program in 1982. In 1999, McDonough produced NYU’s first Division III cross country All-American, Moti Margolin. McDonough came to NYU after six years as an assistant coach at Seton Hall University. While there, he coached numerous Big East Conference champions, six IC4A champions, an American record-setting distance medley relay team in 1994, and six NCAA Division I All-Americans (two in cross country). Additionally, McDonough has varied experience as a race manager and director, working on races such as the NYC Gotham Cup, as well as the Spring Lake Five and the George Sheehan 10k Classic, which are two of the top-50 road races in the U.S. McDonough brought extensive professional and personal experience to the NYU program. As an athlete, he helped lead the Syracuse University cross country program for four years and was named captain as a senior. On the track, he was a member of the Orangemen’s 1992 Big East Championship team, anchoring the relay that clinched the meet. As a high school runner at Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, New Jersey, McDonough was part of a winning distance medley relay at the Penn Relays and competed at the prestigious Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City. He continues to train and can usually be found running with his student-athletes. A native of Point Pleasant, NJ, McDonough resides in Interlaken, NJ.
ONE SHINING MOMENT: NYU WINS THE 2007 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP The New York University men’s cross country team won its first-ever NCAA Division III National Championship, besting a crowded field at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, on Saturday, Nov. 17. Running in blustery winter conditions over the 8,000-meter course, the Violets had five finishers among the top-53, including senior Hany Abdallah, who took ninth place in a time of 24:51.3. “It was a quintessential team effort,” said junior Jesse Schneider, who finished in 21st place in 25:05.5. Both Abdallah and Schneider earned All-America honors for finishing among the top25. It wasn’t until about 10 minutes after the last of the race’s 280 runners crossed the finish line that the final team scores were posted. Atop that 32-team leaderboard was NYU with 128 points. “We ran the best we could and I knew we had a chance, but I had no idea where we were in the final standings until our name went up on the screen,” admitted head coach Nick McDonough. “Last year, we scored 92 points and came in second. This year we won with 128. It was a war. A real war.” The Violets earned the victory on the strength of their depth. Senior Spenser Popeson was NYU’s third finisher, taking 46th place in a time of 25:22.1. Senior James McCarthy was next in 47th (25:22.7), with senior Ryan Williams not far behind (53rd place, 25:27.0). McCarthy and Popeson saved their best for the last mile. McCarthy moved up 14 spots down the stretch, while Popeson gained six spots. The seniors’ final efforts ultimately helped the Violets distance themselves from the pack. While the victory was never certain, it wound up being pretty comfortable, with secondplace Haverford College finishing with 150 points. “You don’t know what it’s like, what you will feel when you win a national championship,” Abdallah said. “It’s weird. It was just a great surprise and an indescribable feeling.”
2007-08 SCHEDULE CROSS COUNTRY
Sat. Sat. Sat. Sat. Sat. Sat. Sat. Sat.
9/1 9/15 9/22 10/5 10/13 10/27 11/10 11/17
@Monmouth U. Cross Country Kickoff NYU INVITATIONAL (FAMILY/ALUMNI DAY) @Connecticut College Invitational @Metropolitan Championship @U. of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Brooks Invitational @UAA Championship (@Brandeis University) NCAA DIVISION III ATLANTIC REGIONALS @NCAA Division III Championship (@St. Olaf College)
First Place First Place First Place First Place First Place First Place First Place First Place
Fri. Fri. Fri. Fri. Sat. Sat. Fri. Fri./Sat. Fri./Sat.
1/11 1/18 1/25 2/1 2/9 2/23 2/29 3/7-8 3/14-15
@Fordham University Invitational @NYC Gotham Cup @Boston University Terrier Invitational @Metropolitan Championships @Boston U. Valentine Invitational @TBA NYU FASTRACK INVITATIONAL @UAA Championships (@Case Western Reserve University) @NCAA Division III Championships (@Ohio Northern University)
Mon./Sat. Fri./Sat. Fri. Sat. Sat. Sat./Sun. Thu./Fri. Fri. Mon. Fri. Thu./Sat.
3/17-22 3/28-29 4/4 4/5 4/12 4/19-20 4/25-26 5/9 5/12 5/16 5/22-24
@Spring Break Trip (Site: TBA) @Raleigh Relays (@North Carolina State University) @Stanford University Invitational @University of Pennsylvania Invitational @The College of New Jersey Invitational @UAA Championships (@University of Chicago) @114th Annual Penn Relays Carnival (@University of Pennsylvania) @The College of New Jersey Qualifier @Swarthmore College Last Chance Meet @IC4A Championships (@Princeton University) @NCAA Division III Championships (@University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh)
INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
All Home Meets in CAPS
OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
10:00 am 2:00 pm 10:00 am 10:00 am 10:00 am TBA 4:00 pm 9:00 am 9:00 am TBA 10:00 am 4:00 pm 10:00 am 10:00 am 11:00 am 11:00 am 2:00 pm 3:00 pm 9:00 am 11:00 am
