NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona College cross country and track and field programs were represented well on the international running stage by trio of alumni this past weekend.
Former Gael standout Stephen Chemlany ’06 took home third place in the 2016 Marathon de Paris Sunday (Apr. 3). He posted a time of 2:07.37 in the IAAF Gold Label event. There are currently 29 marathons in the world to earn the distinction including the Boston, Chicago and New York City Marathons in the United States.
Chemlany emerged on the international scene in 2011 with a surprising second place finish at the 38th BMW Berlin Marathon with a then personal best 2:07:55. The Berlin Marathon is one of eight events comprising the Abbott World Marathon Majors. His personal best time of 2:06.24 came in 2014 at the Seoul International Marathon in South Korea, another gold label event.
Undoubtedly one of the greatest female harriers in Iona history, Heidi See (Gregson) ’12 won the national championship in the 1500-meter event at the 2016 Australian Athletics Championships Saturday (Apr. 2) with time of 4:14.17. With the meet doubling as an Olympic trial, her win secured a nomination for consideration for the Australian team at 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
It was See’s second straight Australian National title after finishing first in 2015 with a time of 4:09.60. She represented her home country in last summer’s IAAF World Championships in Beijing, running in the 1500-meter event.
Iona’s first-ever NCAA Individual Champion, Leonard Korir ’12 ran a 27:58.65 in the 10,000-meter event at the Stanford Invitational Saturday (Apr. 2). The time is the fastest in the world in 2016 and helped Korir eclipse the Olympic “A” Standard.
During his time in New Rochelle, Korir won the 2010 5k Indoor Track Championships with a time of 13:26.01 and the 2011 Outdoor 10k Championship with time of 28:07.63. He was an eight-time All-American in cross country and track and field, two-time NCAA Northeast Regional Champion and six-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Champion from 2009-2011.
