The Fairfield men's and women's cross country team will host the 5th Annual Fr. Laurence O'Neil, S.J. Invitational on Saturday, October 13. The women's 5K is slated for 10:30am followed by the men's 8K at 11:15am.
About the Field: The field consists of nine women's teams and 10 men's teams. In addition to Fairfield, Canisius College, Colgate University, University of Hartford, Siena College, Wagner University, the University of Bridgeport, City College of New York, Molloy College, and the University of New Haven will all be represented.
A Look Back At The 2011 O'Neil Invitational: Fairfield took home the men's and women's team titles one year ago. Maureen Crimmins was the runner-up in the women's 5K, finishing in a time of 19:19, four seconds behind winner Alexis Bivone of Wagner College. On the men's side,
Howie Rosas was the runner-up in the men's 8K, posting a time of 26:40. Wagner's Zachary Spector won the event with a time of 26:24.
About the Namesake: The Fairfield Invitational was rededicated as the Fr. Laurence O'Neil, S.J. Invitational in 2010 in honor of the late Stags chaplain. Fr. O'Neil, who also served as a counselor to student-athletes, passed away in October 2009. Fr. O'Neil joined the Fairfield community in 1955 when he began working at Fairfield Prep. In 1972, he was appointed the Director of Career Counseling at Fairfield University, a position he held for 15 years. Fr. O'Neil also spent seven years as the Dean of Students and worked as the International Student Advisor. He joined the Athletics staff in 2006 where he was beloved by student-athletes, coaches, and staff alike.
Past Men's Champions:
| Year |
Team |
Individual |
Time |
| 2011 |
Fairfield |
Zach Spector (Wagner) |
26:24 |
| 2010 |
Fairfield |
Zach Spector (Wagner) |
26:07 |
| 2009 |
Fairfield |
Steve Flanagan (Fairfield) |
26:23 |
| 2008 |
Yale |
Murat Kayali (Yale) |
25:12.36 |
Past Women's Champions:
| Year |
Team |
Women's Individual |
Time |
| 2011 |
Fairfield |
Alexis Bivone (Wagner) |
19:19 |
| 2010 |
Fairfield |
Taylor Frederickson (Wagner) |
19:44 |
| 2009 |
UConn |
Courtney Dinnan (UConn) |
18:49 |
| 2008 |
Yale |
Stephanie Pearl (Yale) |
18:49.54 |
Looking Ahead: Fairfield travels to the 2012 MAAC Championships in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. on October 27 in a meet that will air on
ESPN3. The Stags wrap up their season on November 9 at the NCAA Regionals which they will co-host with Yale University at Hammonasset State Park in Madison, Conn.
