The College of Staten Island cross-country program hosted its 3rd Annual Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park this morning, a meet accommodating nine teams and over 100 runners.  The CSI women did not place, but the men finished 7th in their turn in the latter meet.  John Jay College nipped out York College to take the win on the men's side, while Hunter College used a strong performance to out-do the field on the women's side.

The women were the first off on the gun and the 6k meet featured a total of 55 runners.  CSI scored a very impressive highlight,as Shantel Peters came in at a crisp time of 27:32.84, coming in 10th overall, earning a medal.  Kubra Shirazi and Sandra Battle were the only other two runners for CSI, coming in 50th and 51st respectively.

Hunter College had the 1-2 finish as Jacklyn Henderson crossed the line at a meet-best 25:40.16, while teammate Jen Arozemera crossed at 26:07.74.  Hunter finished with 23 points overall, breezing past 2nd place Baruch College (68) and John Jay (103).  City College of New York finished with 106 points, followed by Brooklyn with 166, New Jersey City University at 153, and NYC College of Technology with 250.

The men's 8k race was very well contested, as five of the seven teams that placed scored under 100 points.  John Jay's first runner did not cross until the 7th position (Jessie Contrera), but the Bloodhounds also place 8th, 10th, 15th, and 18th to score 58 points.  Close on their heels, however, were the York College Cardinals.  Tarik Weekes and Kenny Jacquet finished third and fourth, respectively, but the Cardinals were just a few positions off the rest of the way, finishing with 61 points.

CSI was not without their highlights either.  Freshman Nick Italiano shaved off a full two minutes off of his time to finish at 32:15.06, finishing 12th overall in the field.  Also placing for CSI was Dean Kunjravia at 35:51.85, finishing in 28th, and Matt Greger at 38:05.60, good for 37th overall.  The Dolphins also boasted runs by Shawn Cybulska (39:35.40), Dennis Vlasikos (50:33.74), and Adebola Olasoju (56:37.65).

The next stop for CSI will be the CUNYAC Championship Meet at Van Cortlandt Park a week from today.