After competing in five races throughout the season, the Canisius College men's and women's cross country teams have arrived at the MAAC Championships. Ten teams will race for the conference crown at Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, N.Y on Friday, Oct. 29. The women's 6K-race is slated to begin at 12 p.m. followed by the men's race at 12:45 p.m.

At last year's MAAC Championship at Hammonassett State Park Conn., the women's squad finished second overall as former Griff Maura Frauenhofer placed second while Christine Mulvihill (eighth place), Julie Dahlkemper (17th), and Jill Shea (20th) each finished among the top-20 in the field. The team's feat marked the fourth time in school history that the Canisius women finished in second at the MAAC Championship and the second-straight season the Blue and Gold placed among the conference's top-three teams.

On the men's side at the 2010 MAAC Championship, the Golden Griffins finished seventh overall. The Griffs were led by Nate McCabe, who placed 16th followed by teammate Alex Simon, who finished 23rd.

With back-to-back team seventh place finishes at the MAAC Championships, the men's team will look to at least crack the top-five. The Griffs will be led by freshman Chad Maloy, who has led the men's squad in each race this season. McCabe and Simon will also look to contribute to the Griffs' success at this year's Championship, hoping to better last year's performances. In addition, senior Jonathan McDonald is looking to return to his 2009 form as a sophomore when he recorded an individual career-best finish of 33rd place.

In the men's MAAC Championship race, Iona has captured the team title 20 straight years, dating back to 1991. In nine straight races, a member of the Iona men's team has won the individual crown.

In the women's race, the senior trio of Dahlkemper, Mulvihill, and Shea will look to continue where Frauenhofer left off. The senior trio has finished in the top three of each race this season for the Golden Griffins. Mulvihill, the 2011 Little Three women's champion, has finished as the top Griff in three of the team's five races this season. Shea finished as the top Griff at the other two races, including the season opener at the Duquesne Duals and the team's last performance at the UAlbany Invitational.

On the women's side of the MAAC Championship, Iona has won six straight team titles while capturing the individual crown in six of the last seven races.

Both teams enter the MAAC Championships off strong performances at the 45th annual UAlbany Invitational. The women's team finished in seventh place while the men's team posted a 10th place finish, tying its previous best overall finish from 2007. Leading the way for the Griffs were Shea on the women's side and Maloy on the men's side. Shea placed 28th with her time of 18:47 while Maloy finished 24th in the men's race with his time of 26:14.