The Iona men’s cross-country team was one of the strongest squads in the country in 2012.

After finishing first in both the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and in the Northeast Regionals, the Gaels went into the NCAA Championships ranked second in the country with dreams of winning the program their first-ever national title.

However, the Maroon & Gold were stymied by injuries, and finished 29th overall in the seasons’ deciding race.

This season, the Gaels will attempt to recover from last year. In this preseason, Iona was ranked first in the MAAC’s preseason ranking and second in the Northeast region.

Before this season started, the Gaels revisited last season’s disappointing finish.

“We talked briefly about it at the beginning of this season but we all decided to look upon this season as a fresh start and not dwell on the past,” senior Jimmy Tarsnane said.

During this campaign, the men’s cross-country team will look to become successful by building upon their success from last year.

“Many people forget but we won every race before nationals [last year] before regionals,” Tarsnane said.

The Gaels will return six of their top seven runners from last season: graduate students Daniel Clorley and Matthew Gillespie. senior Chris Stogsdill, and juniors Jake Byrne, Andrew Kowalsky and Michael O’Dowd.

“[The key for the men’s team this year] is to just keep focused on our training and realize that the goal is to run well at nationals in three months,” Tarsnane said

The men will try to continue their conference championship streak of 22 straight MAAC titles (the longest in Division I) when they compete in the MAAC Championships on Nov. 1.

For the women’s cross-country squad, they will look to win their ninth consecutive MAAC Championship this season. This streak is currently the longest streak for any conference championship for any women’s side in Division I.

Leading the way for the Gaels this season will be seniors Luci McLoughlin and Katie Niblock, along with junior Marlene Delices.

The women’s program is also optimistic for the season ahead.

“We have a great combination of veterans and new runners on the team. The team is working hard to bring home another MAAC championship and hopefully earn a berth to the national championships,” Niblock said.

“[The biggest keys to the team’s success will be] staying healthy as a team, working hard and having fun,” Niblock said.

After finishing 19th overall in the Northeast region last autumn, the women’s team has a preseason rank of sixth in the same division.

Both the men and the women’s cross-country teams will participate in their first home meet on Sept. 21 at Van Cortlandt Park in the Br. Doyle Meet of Champions.