Bronx, NY - Manhattan cross country's
Lisa Fajardo (Brooklyn, NY / Bishop Kearney) won the 2018 Metropolitan Championship Friday, October 12 at Van Cortlandt Park, crossing the finish line in 17:55.2, less than two seconds off her school record time for the 5K course.
Fajardo's performance, bolstered by three other top-20 finishes, led Manhattan to a second place team finish in the meet. The Jasper men, led by a fifth-place finish from senior
Amir Khaghani (Bethesda, MD / Walt Whitman), also garnered a second place team finish in their five-mile race.
Highlights:
- Fajardo is the first female Jasper to win an individual Met Championship in at least the last eight seasons.
- Freshman Hali Ielfield (Glenfield, NY / South Lewis Central) secured a fourth-place finish in the women's race, clocking in at 18:43.6. Manhattan was the first team to have two runners cross the finish line.
- Caroline Ferri (Garden City, NY / Garden City) and Keeley Hogan (Delmar, NY / Bethlehem Central) rounded out the top 20 for the Jaspers. Ferri finished in 19:31.1, while Hogan came in at 19:41.0.
- Sam Hoagland (Colts Neck, NJ / Colts Neck, Gianna Tinto (Kings Park, NY / Smithtown West) and Grace Campbell (Sparta, NJ / Pope John XXIII Regional) all scored points for the Jaspers, finishing in 31st, 40th, and 45th, respectively.
- Campbell's 21:06.8 finish, as well as Megan Carmody's (Rumford, RI / Bishop Feehan) 21:34.4 and Gabby Fanning's (Cornwall, NY / Cornwall Central) 22:11.2, were all 5K personal bests.
- Khaghani (26:23.8) was one of four Jaspers to finish in the top 20 overall in the men's race. Christian McLaughlin (Allenhurst, NJ / Christian Brothers Academy) finished in 10th, Ryan Tierney (Staten Island, NY / St. Peter's) in 11th, and Chad Maier (Melville, NY / Walt Whitman) in 18th.
- Freshmen Liam Farrell (Hyde Park, NY / F.D. Roosevelt), Michael Hennelly (Suffern, NY / Suffern) and David Lozipone (Massapequa Park, NY / Kellenberg Memorial) rounded out the top 30 for Manhattan, taking 25th, 26th, and 28th, respectively.
Up Next:
The Jaspers head to the 2018 MAAC Cross Country Championships on October 27 in Colonie, NY at the Crossings. The men's race will begin at 11:00 am, with the women's race starting at noon.
