ITHACA, N.Y. - The men's cross country team will host the John Reif Memorial Run, and its final meet before Ivy Heptagonals, this weekend.
 
Both the men's and women's teams will be running the 5k at Moakley Course. Mapped out across Cornell's Robert Trent Jones Golf Course, Moakley Course is ideal for spectators as runners are seldom out of sight of the start/finish line.
 

Meet Information

 
Cornell's John Reif Memorial Invitational
DATE: Friday, October 25
TIME: 4:30 p.m.
SITE: Moakley Course
RESULTS: https://results.leonetiming.com/xc.html?mid=1843
MAP: https://cornellbigred.com/documents/2009/8/19/5k.pdf?id=2177
 

Other Teams at the John S. Reif Memorial

Buffalo
Cortland
Syracuse
 

Cornell's Moakley Course Records (5 Mile)

1. Pete Pfitzinger        1978, 24:48.6
2. Grant Whitney         1985, 24:49.0
3. Erik Lukens             1987, 25:07.8
4. Phil Ritson               1971, 25:08.2
5. Phil Collins              1971, 25:13.8
6. Ray DeMarco         1974, 25:19.6
7. Dan Predmore        1978, 25:23.0
8. Harv Robinson        1983, 25:30.0
9. Doug Calby             1978, 25:31.0
10. Mike Wyckoff        1978, 25:32.0
 

About John S. Reif

* written by the cross country team
"Friends and teammates of John Reif organized the first John Reif Memorial Run in 1987. Who was John Reif?
 
"John was a 1986 graduate of Cornell, completing a degree in molecular cellular biology. As an athlete, he was highly touted in high school, so there were great expectations on what he might achieve. He always wanted to pop a big race, but it never really happened, although he was a consistent team scorer in the 1500, 3000 and steeplechase along with being a regular scorer and contributor in cross country. He was a great teammate; he was always positive and always worked hard.  
 
"After graduation, he still wanted that big athletic breakthrough so he turned to the triathlon. He moved to St. Louis in 1986 to do medical research at St. Louis Children's Hospital and devoted most of his free time to training for triathlons.
 
"He was killed while on a bicycle training ride outside of St. Louis in the summer of 1987.
 
"Joel Minor '90, who upon his graduation was the last person at Cornell to have been a teammate of John's had some comments. 'John was kind of a case of unfulfilled expectations that, in many ways, he overcame - not with meeting those expectations, but by being a supportive, encouraging, hard-working teammate who made those around him better.'
 
"The following was read at his eulogy: 'His was a total commitment to the tasks at hand, be they academic, athletic, or professional. He lived his life with grace and gentleness and was admired by others of all ages for his humor, his sensitivity, his dedication and his kindness.'
 
"Also in 1987, the team began a new award that we still give out every year at out post-season banquet, the John Reif Award for Overall Excellence: 'To the harrier who best embodies excellence in effort: in running and in academic scholarship; in respect and in support of teammates; in internal competitive fire and day to day dedication.'
 
"John Reif was a beloved member of the team who represented so much of what makes the Cornell cross country program special. We remember him, and everything he stood for, each year that we have this meet."
 

About the Big Red

• The Big Red opened the season with a first place finish, out of 18 teams, at the Yellowjacket Invitational in Rochester, N.Y. Freshman Rishabh Prakash, placed first overall with a time of 25:45.5. Eric Eng rounded out the top-10 with a fifth-place finish.
• The team followed their first meet at the Iona Meet of Champions with a eighth-place finish, out of 12 teams. Marek Nowak finished first for Cornell, 27th-place overall, with a time of 25:53.9.
• For its third race, the Big Red went to the Paul Short run. The men's team finished in 21st-place with 613 points. Rishabh Prakash finished first for Cornell, and 69th overall.
• Last weekend, Cornell split for the Pre-National Invitational and the Canisius Classic. The men placed 33rd, out of 38 teams, at the Pre-National Invitational. At the Canisius Classic, Sean Henretta finished in the top-10 but with an incomplete team Cornell did not receive a team score.

 

Last Time Out

• Cornell last finished running at the Pre-National Invitational and the Canisius Classic. The team finished the Pre-National Invitational with 852 points.
• At the Pre-National Invitational, Perry MacKinnon finished first for Cornell and 115th overall. 
• Also scoring points for the Big Red was Matthew Fusco (149th-place, 25:16.8), Marek Nowak (168th-place, 25:30.1), Morgan Cupp (197th-place, 25:49.2) and Robert Whitney (223rd-place, 26:11.7).
• At the Canisius Classic, Sean Henretta finished first for Cornell, ninth overall, in 25:51.8. Also running for the Big Red was Alec Hill (23rd, 26:20.5) and Jamie Granata (37th, 26:42.8).

 

2019 Top Tens

• Rishabh Prakash - 1st-place at the Yellowjacket Invitational (9/14)
• Eric Eng - 5th-place at the Yellowjacket Invitational (9/14)
• Sean Henretta - 9th-place at the Canisius Classic (10/19)

 

A Duo With a Title

• The Big Red men's cross country captains have been announced. Paul Casavant and Steve Neumaier will be the 2019 captains.
• Casavant has ran in the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships during both his freshman and sophomore year. The junior captain ran an 8k personal record at the Paul Short Open in 2017 (25:48.6). Earning 34th place at the Paul Short Open, Casavant earned his highest finish in 2018.
• Neumaier ran and place 53rd at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Northeast Regionals in 2018. The senior captain ran an 8k personal record at the Princeton Invitational in 2018 (25:12.2). Earning 17th place at the Paul Short Open, Neumaier earned his highest finish in 2018.

 

About Head Coach Mike Henderson

• After being an assistant coach for men's cross country/track and field for two years at Cornell, Mike Henderson was named the Alan B. '53 and Elizabeth Heekin Harris Head Coach of Women's Track & Field/Men's and Women's Cross Country in August of 2019.
• During those two years with the Big Red's men's middle- and long-distance runners, Henderson has coached one NCAA cross country championship qualifier, 13 Ivy League and six IC4A point scorers. 
• Henderson's Ivy and IC4A point scorers include four top three finishes and one championship performance.
• He has also overseen four Big Red all-time top 10 performances and has had three athletes break Cornell freshman records.

 

Up Next

• After closing out the regular-season with the Reif Memorial Run, the Big Red will travel to New York City to compete in the Ivy League Heptagonals Championships on Friday, November 1.