Cross Country Opens 2016 at Monmouth XC Kick-Off

South Orange, N.J. - The 2016 Seton Hall cross country season commences Saturday when the Pirates run in Monmouth University's XC Kick-Off at Thompson Park in Lincroft, N.J. The men will race in a 6K at 9 a.m., and the women will follow with a 4K race at 9:40 a.m.

The men's team returns 12 runners from last season's team, including seniors Sean Kip (Union, N.J.) Alex Mallue (Canton, Ohio), Ryan Moumblow (Staten Island, N.Y.), Cameron Quisenberry (Owensboro, Ky.) and Victor Ricci (Narragansett, R.I.). The Pirates have also added six freshmen to the squad, which also includes four juniors and three sophomores.

In last year's run at Monmouth, the men placed seven runners in the top 20 to earn a third place finish in the event behind winner Monmouth and second-place Lafayette. Bryant Cordova (Elizabeth, N.J.) paced the Pirates with a time of 19:44.61, and he was followed by Louis Bustamante (Hamburg, N.J.) at 19:45.15. It was the first of three times Cordova led the Pirates in a race in 2015, including the BIG EAST Championship run he made at the end of October.

The women's team returns seven runners from last season's team, including seniors Desyre Blackburn (Aloha, Ore.) and Holli Rowe (Nassau, Bahamas). The squad also features three juniors, two sophomores and two newcomer freshmen.

In last year's run at Monmouth, the women finished in third place behind Monmouth and Lafayette after placing five runners in the 4K race's top 40. Now graduated Pirate Amanda Quaglia (Reading, Pa.) led the Pirates with a time of 15:19.23. Sophomore Kiley Britten (Crystal Lake, Ill.) was second among the Pirates with a time of 15:45.99.