With the conclusion of the fall Marist athletics season, the Center Field editorial board voted on All-Marist team selections. Below are the results, along with some analysis from Center Field writers.
First Team Selections
Richard Morel – Men’s soccer
After a slow start to 2024, senior forward Richard Morel had the resurgent season that both he and the program were banking on as they sought to take the next step. Morel scored eight times in his final 11 matches, which included a goal in each of the final three matches of the season. Ultimately, the senior set a new career-high for goals scored in a single season. Highlights include his two-goal performance in an upset 2-1 win against No. 18 Fordham and his game-winning goal in a 2-1 playoff win over Quinnipiac. Nearly one in four shots Morel took found the back of the net, plus he notched three assists. Morel was rewarded for his efforts with All-MAAC Second Team honors at the forward position.
- Luke Sassa, men’s soccer beat writer
Maille McDermott – Women’s soccer
Marist women’s soccer had an underwhelming offensive display this season, but graduate student midfielder/forward Maillie McDermott provided a lone bright spot. McDermott entered this season as a transfer from Seton Hall and instantly made an impact, scoring all three of her goals in the first six games—the only goals of her entire collegiate career. The graduate student totaled 15 shots, the third most on the team, despite starting just 12 games and playing through injuries toward the second half of the season. McDermott’s three goals also established her as the only player to score multiple goals on the Red Foxes this season. Since McDermott has no more years remaining eligibility, she certainly made the most of her final collegiate season.
- Michael Burns, women’s soccer beat writer
Tyler Perry – Men’s cross country
Graduate student Tyler Perry showed the Red Foxes just how important his fifth year is for the team this cross-country season. Perry opened up the season at the Vassar home meet with a time of 19:37.6 in the 6k race. Just warming up, Perry took off at the MAAC Championships by earning Marist’s only top 30 finish in 25:16.4 in the 8k race, which was an essential performance to help the men hold onto a sixth-place finish at the meet. Perry carried this over into NCAA Regionals, coming in fourth for the Red Foxes with a time of 32:49.97 in the 10k race. A mid-distance dominant track runner, Perry will be a key runner to watch this indoor track season.
- Caitlin Bombassei, contributor
Sierra Fisher – Women’s cross country
Stealing the spotlight for women’s cross country was junior Sierra Fisher, as she led Marist women throughout the season. At the Paul Short Run Invitational, Fisher had one of the best collegiate race finishes for the Marist women in the meet’s history, finishing 25th overall with a time of 22:11.3 in the 6k race. Just 15 days later, Fisher was hailed a hometown hero at the Fall Foliage meet in her home state of Vermont. Fisher snagged third place in the 5k with a time of 18:05.0. Not stopping there, Fisher sped ahead for the Red Foxes at the MAAC Championships by securing 18th place and a 21:28.7 time in the 6k race; she then closed out the NCAA regionals with a 6k time of 21:59.01.
- Caitlin Bombassei, contributor
Sonny Mannino – Football
Despite the poor-performing Marist football season with a 1-10 record, it was always redshirt sophomore Sonny Mannino with a chance to give the Red Foxes a competitive push during games.
The most shocking fact about the Sonny Mannino story was that the redshirt sophomore quarterback started the year taking snaps in the slot, backfield and everything besides the starting quarterback role. When redshirt sophomore quarterback Enzo Arjona landed on the sidelines for the rest of the season with an injury, Mannino took the starting job by the reigns. He launched 1788 passing yards and 14 passing touchdowns in eight starts (appeared in all 11 games), but the true calling card for Mannino in the 2024 season was his dual-threat ability, rushing for 311 yards and five touchdowns. He passed for five touchdowns in one game against St. Thomas (tied program record) and rushed for four touchdowns in the sole win against Stetson (the first quarterback to do so, tied program record).
In a year of woes, Mannino was the clear bright spot for the Red Foxes as a talented athletic threat with room to grow in his collegiate career.
- Dan Aulbach, football beat writer
Sara Dasic – Volleyball
After losing two of the program’s most prolific outside hitters in Sasha van der Merwe and Jordan Newblatt (who both used their fifth year of eligibility elsewhere), the Red Foxes had massive shoes to fill at the pins. In their place, a dynamic duo of newcomers emerged: Sara Dasic and Taylor Miller, first and second-team All-Marist selections.
Dasic, the transfer from Indian River State, narrowly edged out Miller as the leader of the team in kills but distanced herself as the team’s most crucial player due to her play in the back row. Playing middle back, Dasic racked up 213 digs, second on the team to only primary starting libero, sophomore Katherine Thompson. Dasic was also solid at the service line with 26 aces, and trustworthy in serve receive, where she finished with a 25.9% first ball side out percentage (percentage of serve receive reception attempts after which a team scores on their first swing) and a 41.6% good pass percentage.
- Ben Leeds, volleyball beat writer
Second Team Selections
Chris Verhuel – Men’s soccer
Forward/midfielder Chris Verheul came over as a 22-year-old freshman from the Netherlands and immediately made a tangible impact. Verheul started all 18 matches, playing 1,234 minutes while earning four goals and an assist. Verheul’s first goal came in the 60th minute of a scrappy 1-0 road win over Army, giving Marist its first win of the season amidst a brutal stretch of the schedule early on. Verheul then won MAAC Rookie of the Week on Oct. 21 after scoring the match-clinching goal in a 2-0 win over Quinnipiac. Verheul received widespread recognition for establishing himself as a top player in the MAAC by making the All-MAAC First Team at the midfield position.
- Luke Sassa, men’s soccer beat writer
Gabby Tirado – Women’s soccer
Freshman forward Gabby Tirado certainly showed a ton of promise in her first collegiate season. Leading the team in shots is impressive, but for Tirado to do it as a freshman is even more noteworthy. The freshman put up 24 total shots this season, making her and junior midfielder Olivia Lindsay the only two players on the squad to notch 20-plus shots in 2024. Tirado has some work to do when it comes to accuracy, with just four of those shots being on goal and none of them resulting in scores. However, three of those shots on net came in the final four games of the season, giving the freshman something to build on heading into next year. Making 16 starts and logging over 1,000 minutes is quite rare for a first-year player, so expect Tirado to remain a massive part of head coach Nicole Pacapelli’s plans for the team.
- Michael Burns, women’s soccer beat writer
Gabe Rodriguez – Men’s cross country
Gabe Rodriguez was a familiar name this season, consistently showing up for the Red Foxes. At the Jasper Fall Invitational, Rodriguez placed third for Marist with an 8k time of 25:42.0. Rodriguez clinched a season-best and first-place Foxes finish at IC4A Championships with an 8k time of 25:37.5. Rodriguez did not stop there though, chipping away at that time yet again at the MAAC Championships with an 8k time of 25:32.3. Holding onto that power, Rodriguez placed second among the Marist men at NCAA Regionals with a 10k time of 32:40.55. The senior proved he doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon going into his final winter track season.
- Caitlin Bombassei, contributor
Julia Zydanowicz – Women’s cross country
Freshman Julia Zydanowicz was one of Marist’s newest additions to the team this year but is no stranger to a cross-country course. Zydanowicz adjusted in no time to college racing, immediately establishing herself in the front pack of the Marist women. At the Vassar home meet, her talent was on display for the first time as she placed fourth among the Marist women with a 5k time of 19:07.3. Zydanowicz continued to shine throughout the season, earning a top ten finish in the Ted Owns Invitational 5k at 18:15, making her an easy choice for the NCAA team. At the NCAA regionals, Zydanowicz achieved a top-three Red Fox finish with a time of 22:45.95. With only her first season of college racing under her belt, Zydanowicz will be a runner to watch going into this track season.
- Caitlin Bombassei, contributor
Jackson Connors – McCarthy – Football
Perhaps–and fittingly–the second-best surprise for the Marist football offense was a 6’2”, 235-pound linebacker transfer from Bryant University.
Redshirt freshman tight end Jackson Connors-McCarthy took on his new role with an immediate impact, hauling in eight receptions for 75 yards in his first collegiate start at the position. Despite the quarterback change, “JCM” became one of Mannino’s favorite targets, hauling in 101 yards and a touchdown against Davidson.
The experimental position change worked: Connors-McCarthy belongs on the offensive side of the ball, and he’ll certainly continue to adjust and become a more refined tight end in future years with the program.
- Dan Aulbach, football beat writer
Taylor Miller – Volleyball
Miller is the only Red Fox to see her name on the 2024 MAAC Volleyball All-MAAC Teams, garnering All-Rookie team honors. The freshman appeared in all 28 matches playing in 100 of the team’s 101 sets. Miller made her constant presence felt in the front row, where she piled up 314 kills. Though she has a long way to go before catching the van der Merwe and Newblatt in the kills column, Miller is more than on pace.
“Both Sara Dasic and Taylor Miller are 100 kills ahead of where [van der Merwe] was after her second year,” said head coach Sean Byron after Marist wrapped up their season with a 3-1 loss to Niagara.
After one year the freshman from Haworth, NJ is on pace to end her career at Marist with 1,256 kills, which would be good for third place on the Red Foxes’ all-time kills list. Miller has plenty of room to grow these next three years, potentially into one of the program’s all-time greats.
- Ben Leeds, volleyball beat writer
Third Team Selections
Jamie Lowell – Men’s soccer
Graduate student Jamie Lowell stabilized the goalkeeper position for men’s soccer. After a tough start against top-flight competition, Lowell stepped up his game to allow just 1.3 goals against average in 10 MAAC matches. Lowell earned three clean sheets on the year while vocally directing a youthful Marist backline that steadily improved as the season went along. Lowell earned five or more saves on five separate occasions, including during crucial wins over Army, Quinnipiac and Niagara. Lowell ended his season by gutting it out for 77 minutes during the playoff win over Quinnipiac while dealing with an injury; eventually, he was subbed out and did not return for the rest of the year. As a result, Marist played without its standout goalkeeper during the season-ending 3-1 semifinal loss to Iona. Beyond Morel, Verheul and Lowell, numerous other Red Foxes positively impacted the team, as sophomore Kyle Evans earned an All-MAAC Third Team spot at the midfielder position, while freshman Evan Marques and sophomore Nicholas Sanchez made the Third Team as defenders.
- Luke Sassa, men’s soccer beat writer
Maddy Catalanotti – Women’s soccer
Junior goalkeeper Maddy Catalanotti put up another solid year for the Red Foxes in net this season. Catalanotti showed improvement from her sophomore campaign in nearly every major statistic this season, most notably boosting her save percentage from .708 to .738. The junior allowed 1.35 goals per game, representing a substantial .41 decrease from last season, while also recording 59 total saves on the year. Her most impressive performance came against Sacred Heart back on Sept. 14 when she accumulated seven saves en route to a 2-0 victory. Catalanotti earned one of her five shutouts on the season in that match and received the MAAC Defensive Player of the Week for her exceptional display. If her progress continues into next season, the captain will definitely play a major role in the Red Foxes’ success in 2025.
- Michael Burns, women’s soccer beat writer
Logan Schaeffler – Men’s cross country
Marist had no lack of speed with the freshman class this year with another rookie, Logan Schaeffler, proving that he could run with the best this season. At the Vassar home meet and Jasper Fall Invitational, Schaeffler secured second place for Marist with times of 19:14.9 and 25:41.1. Schaeffler then finished the season with a bang, leading the Red Foxes at NCAA Regionals with a time of 32:33.62 helping to pace the Marist men to a 32-second spread, a level of closeness between Marist’s first and last runner that was the best in the field. Already marking his claim to the front of the Red Fox pack in his first season, Schaeffler has become a dominant staple for the men’s team.
- Caitlin Bombassei, contributor
Kyra Pellegrino – Women’s cross country
Sophomore Kyra Pellegrino, a transfer from Siena, was a constant presence in the women’s cross country lineup this season. Pellegrino first made her mark at the Fall Jasper Invitational by earning second for Marist by running 22:09.8 in the 6k race. At the Ted Owen Invitational, Pellegrino placed third for Marist in the 5k race with a time of 18:49. Three weeks later, Pellegrino stole first for the Marist women at the Metropolitan Championships by shaving 19 seconds off of her 5k time to finish at 18:30.74. Pellegrino continued her momentum as the Marist women began to close out their season, placing third for Marist at the MAAC Championships at 22:11.6 in the 5k race. She then closed out her final meet in second for the Red Foxes at NCAA Regionals, running 22:08.73.
- Caitlin Bombassei, contributor
James Kratochvil – Football
No one put themselves in the right place at the right time quite like redshirt freshman linebacker James Kratchovil this season for Marist. Kratchovil hauled in four interceptions (team leader), two of which came in the same game on consecutive drives in the win against Stetson, preventing Marist from having a winless season. He has good eyes to read the quarterback and also led the team with 55 total tackles on the season. Leading the team in two main defensive categories is further proof that Kratchovil is only getting started after a successful rookie year.
- Dan Aulbach, football beat writer
Jamison White – Volleyball
It is no secret that the Red Foxes underperformed this year, but it is hard to imagine exactly what this year’s season would have looked like without Jamison White. Senior setter Claire Lewis, who was one of few key holdovers from the 2023 squad, missed the entire season with a knee injury.
White, thrust into the primary setter role, had to adjust to her completely new set of teammates while playing one of the most important positions on the floor. She adjusted swimmingly, racking up 807 assists, a few hundred more than she recorded in her four years at the University of New Hampshire. White was the only Red Fox to appear in every single set. Additionally, White spent the back half of MAAC play hitting out of the right side when Marist transitioned from a 5-1 offense to a 6-2. There, she totaled 38 kills in the final 11 matches of the season.
- Ben Leeds, volleyball beat writer
Edited by Marley Pope and Luke Sassa
Graphics by Jaylen Rizzo; Photos from Marist Athletics
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