College of the Holy Cross Women's Cross Country

Kavanagh joined the Crusader staff in 1971 as Harold Skip OConnors assistant, and was appointed head coach in 1977 when his mentor retired. Coach Kavanagh taught math and coached part-time at Holy Cross for 28 years before accepting the position of director of mens and womens track and cross country on a full time basis in the summer of 1999.

LeMaire is the jumps coach for the womens team andhurdles and jumps coach for the mens team. LeMaire comes to Holy Cross after spending five seasons as thehead womens track and field and cross country coach atWorcester State University. He led the Lancers to three consecutiveindoor track and field MASCAC championships and two outdoor trackand field conference titles. LeMaire was also named USTFCCCA NewEngland Womens Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year in2011-2012. He began his coaching career as an assistant indoorcoach at Westfield State in 2004-2005 and spent the 2005-2007seasons as the varsity girls indoor and outdoor track and fieldcoach at Grafton High School. LeMaire graduated from Westfield State in 2004 with a Bachelorof Science in Movement Science, Sports and Leisure Studies. Hecompleted his Masters in Physical Education from CanisiusCollege in 2012. He currently resides in Worcester.

Mariani has 23 years of wide ranging coaching experience.The range of athletes in which he has coached is also extremelywide ranging from high school athletes to world class levelcompetitors. He has coached two 7,000-plus point decathletes andthree seven foot high jumpers. He has also coached an All-American800 meter runner and countless league and district champions. Mariani spent three years as the head coach at Westborough HighSchool in addition to serving as an assistant coach at BentleyCollege for five years. Mariani then served as the head coach ofthe Waltham Track Club before serving as an assistant with theBoston Athletic Association. In his coaching tenure, Mariani has coached in two United StatesOlympic Sports Festivals, six NCAA Division II Championships, threeUnited States Indoor Championships and numerous internationalcompetitions in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. Mariani and his wife, Linda, and step-daughter, Lauren, residein Wellesley, Mass.

Egetta Alfonso enters her 24th year in 2022-23 at Holy Cross. In June of 2022, Alfonso was promoted to Richard L. Ahern '51 Director of Cross Country and Track and Field after 23 seasons as head coach of the women’s track and field team.   During her tenure as a head coach at Holy Cross, Alfonso’s athletes have won more than three dozen individual and relay Patriot League Championships. She has had hundreds of student-athletes named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, more than a dozen Academic All-Patriot League selections and two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans (Emily Hogan, 2002 and Sarah Dahlstrom, 2014). During the 2020-21 season, Christa Jay Moore had another record-setting season. Moore set a new school and personal record, clearing 4.08m to place first in the pole vault in a dual meet against Rhode Island. Moore went on to win the Patriot League Outdoor Championship with a new conference record of 4.05m. Moore also won the New England Outdoor Championship and competed at the NCAA Division I East Region Preliminary Round.    Prior to the conclusion of the 2019-20 season due to COVID-19, the Crusaders had success at the 2020 Patriot League Indoor Championship, with senior Allie Smiley earning All-Patriot League first team honors after winning the long jump. Junior Sydney McDonald also earned second team honors in the high jump.   In 2018-19, the Crusaders had a pair of champions at the Patriot League outdoor championship, with Christa Jay Moore winning the pole vault and Smiley winning the long jump. Moore, who was named the Patriot League Field Athlete of the Meet, went on to qualify for the NCAA East Regionals.   During the 2017-18 season, senior standout Zoe Matherne qualified for the NCAA East Regionals for the second year in a row in the 800m event.    In 2016-17, Zoe Matherne qualified for the NCAA Championship East Preliminary Round in Lexington, Ky. Hannah Jeter and Matherne both earned Academic All-Patriot League honors.    In 2012-13, the Crusaders finished in fifth place at the Patriot League Indoor Championship and fourth place at the Patriot League Outdoor Championship. Stephanie Okpoebo was named Female Track Athlete of the Meet at the outdoor championship after finishing first in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes. Brittany Gorksi also took home first place in the 800-meters at the event. Both Okpoebo and Gorski were named first team All-Patriot League. Amanda Waldron and the 4x100 meter relay team also posted second place finishes to earn second team All-Patriot League honors. At the Patriot League Indoor Championship, Okpoebo won the 60-meter dash and Caroline Carley won the 1,000-meter run at the indoor championship to each earn first team All-Patriot League honors. Okpoebo also finished second in the 200-meter run to claim second team All-Patriot League recognition at the event. Okpoebo broke three Holy Cross records, setting the 60-meter dash (indoor) mark at 7.53 seconds, 200-meter dash (indoor) at 24.29 seconds and 200-meter dash (outdoor) at 24.19 seconds. Sarah Dahlstrom was named to the Academic All-Patriot League team for the indoor season while Waldron received outdoor Academic All-Patriot League recognition.   In 2011-2012, the Crusaders finished fourth at the Patriot League Indoor Championship and sixth at the Patriot League Outdoor Championship. Stephanie Okpoebo won the 100 meter (outdoor) and 200 meter (outdoor and indoor) dashes and received All-Patriot League first team honors for the second year in a row. She also made the first team at the indoor championship. Brittany Gorski and Mackenzie Arndt were each named to the All-Patriot League second team for their performances in the 400 meter hurdles and pole vault, respectively. At the indoor championship, Katelyn Hartnett was named to the All-Patriot League second team for her performance in the 800 meter run. After the indoor season, Hartnett was named to the Patriot League All-Academic team for the second time while Linnehan received the honor for the first time after the outdoor season. A total of 37 women's track and field members were selected to the 2011-2012 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. Four school records were recorded in the 60 meter hurdles (Linnehan), 1,000 meter run (Hartnett), 3,000 meter steeplechase (Kathleen Brekka) and 4 x 100 meter relay. Hartnett was also awarded the Patriot League Sportsmanship Award for fairness, equality and excellence in academics and athletics.   In 2010-2011, the Crusaders finished fifth at the Patriot League Outdoor Championship. Okpoebo earned All-Patriot League first team honors after winning the 100 and 200 meter dashes at the outdoor championship and 200 at the indoor championship. Linnehan and Hartnett made their mark on the school record books, while Hartnett was also named to the inaugural Academic All-Patriot League team.    In 2009-2010, Holy Cross finished in fourth place at both the Patriot League Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Tiffany Reid took first in the 60 and 200 meter dashes and was named Female Athlete of the Meet at the indoor championship. She then picked up four more first place finishes at the outdoor championship.   An outstanding performer for the Crusaders from 1988-1992, Alfonso was a four-year letterwinner at Holy Cross. She served as the team’s co-captain during the 1991-1992 season and was a member of the school’s 4x100 meter relay team which held Holy Cross’ all-time record in that event. Alfonso was an All-Patriot League performer in the shot put and the 400 meter dash and an ECAC qualifier in the distance medley and competed in numerous Patriot League and New England Championships.   Alfonso began her coaching career at South High School in Worcester where she served as the assistant coach for both the boys and girls teams before taking over the head coaching position one year later. She served as South High’s head coach for boys and girls track and field for three years before moving on to take her current position at Holy Cross.   Alfonso, who is originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Holy Cross.   Alfonso, her husband Rigoberto and their two sons, Tony and Marc, currently reside in Leicester, Mass.