MAAC Championship Central | Preview Video

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara men's and women's cross country teams are gearing up for one of the biggest races of the year this coming weekend, the 2011 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships at Van Cortlandt Park in New York City.

Niagara hasn't raced since the Albany Invitational, where Vincent Donner led the way for the Purple Eagles, finishing the 8k course in a time of 26:45, good enough for 46th place out of 185 runners. Following Donner was Sam Reedy (54th Place - 26:58), Nick Orlowski (82nd Place - 27:35) and Brian Traugott (94th Place - 27:51).

On the women's side of things, Niagara was once again paced by sophomore Kim Vona, finishing the 5k race in a time of 18:47, good for 29th place out of 192 runners. Behind Vona was Stephanie Schmidt (60th Place - 19:49), Lindsey Phillips (78th Place - 20:27) and Alyssa Tusang (127th Place - 21:39).

Last year, the men's team finished in eighth place out of 10 teams, while the women's team finished in sixth place out of 10 teams.

The women's 6k event  starts at noon, while the men's 8k event begins at 12:45 pm.

(Check out interviews with head coach Tom Mulhern and Kim Vona who preview the upcoming MAAC Championships HERE.)