MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY PROJECTED SECOND IN ECC PRESEASON POLL

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (Aug. 27, 2009) - The East Coast Conference released its preseason coaches' tally for men's cross country on Wednesday, and Molloy College was predicted to finish second out of eight teams by the head coaches of the league. New York Institute of Technology amassed five first-place votes and 56 total points as the Bears were selected as the preseason favorite in the ECC. The Lions were next with 47 points, despite receiving no first-place nods in the poll.

One point behind Molloy was Dowling College, which registered 46 points and one first-place vote. St. Thomas Aquinas College came in at fourth with 42 points, while C.W. Post raked two first-place nods and 37 points for a No. 5 spot in the census. Mercy College, Queens College and University of Bridgeport capped the group of eight in the poll with point totals of 24, 22 and 14, respectively.

Senior Matthew Badamo (Floral Park, N.Y.) returns for the Lions following a successful junior year in which he set two new school records. The first came in the 8k at the SUNY Albany Invitational when he recorded a clocking of 27:46.40. Less than a month later, Badamo broke the mark in the 10k after crossing at a time of 34:46.40. Joining him is sophomore Michael Colucci (Oceanside, N.Y.). In 2008, Colucci earned himself a pair of ECC Rookie of the Week accolades.

Sophomore Nicholas Koiyet (Eldoret, Kenya) of NYIT garnered East Coast Conference Preseason Runner of the Year honors. Last year, he came in 68th at the NCAA Division II Championships with a 23:46 clocking. Koiyet was also one-hundredth of a second shy of first place at the ECC Championships, but was still recognized as the league's top rookie.

Head Coach Al Kilfoyle and his squad start up the 2009 campaign next Saturday, September 5, when Molloy takes part in the Hofstra University Invitational. Action is slated to get underway at 10 a.m.

2009 East Coast Conference Preseason Poll - Men's Cross Country

1. NYIT (5 First-Place Votes)
2. Molloy
3. Dowling (1 First-Place Vote)
4. St. Thomas Aquinas
5. C.W. Post (2 First-Place Votes)
6. Mercy
7. Queens
8. Bridgeport