Junior Lisa Cassaro and sophomore Joe Gentsch were named the 2008-09 cross country MVPs at the athletic ceremony held on May 6, 2009. Both runners had a tremendous year for the Hawks and helped to guide the program in the right direction to be consistent competitors.
Gentsch led the Hawks all season after making the transition from the soccer field to the cross country terrain. At the SUNYAC Championship he led the team with a 27th place finish in the 8K out of a field of 125 runners in a time of 26:33, improving his personal best by 23 seconds. Gentsch’s time is the third best in New Paltz history.
Cassaro broke the 23 minute mark at SUNYACs, setting a new school record in the 6K for a New Paltz runner. Cassaro finished 33rd out of a field of 103 runners in a time of 23:56. She broke Janet Walsh’s mark from 2004 of 24:24. As her coach Mike Trunkes stated, “Lisa trained really hard all season and ran some outstanding races. She deserves to hold the fastest time in New Paltz history.”
