2009 PAC Cross Country Preview

BETHANY BISON

The Bethany cross country teams will enter the season with a new coach in Matt Abel, but the women’s team will have a lot of familiar faces.

Abel takes over the Bison after serving as an assistant coach at nearby Wheeling Park High School. During his tenure, the Patriots won six OVAC Cross Country titles (four boys, two girls) and a pair of West Virginia Boys’ Class AAA state crowns. This came after a strong running career at Division II Wheeling Jesuit, where he earned All-WVIAC accolades four times on the trails and qualified for the 2003 NCAA National Championship Meet.

The Bison women’s team returns several contributors from last year’s squad that placed fifth at PAC Championships. The top returner is senior Maggie McCort, who scored Second Team All-PAC honors at the championship meet by finishing No. 13 overall.

Other veterans back for another season is senior Alissa Moss, who placed No. 26 at the PAC race last year, senior Jodi Bodo, who used a solid cross country season to set the stage for her to break four school records and qualify for ECAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in multiple events, and junior Emily Roth.

Also back is junior Desiree Finley, who sat out last year but she was BC’s top runner in 2007, narrowly missing out on All-PAC laurels by taking No. 15 at the league championships.

The men’s team was thin on numbers last year and may be that way again this year. The lone runner back from last season is senior Patrick Miller, who has with the program all four years.

Bethany’s season gets underway Sept. 5 at the Westminster Invitational.

CHATHAM COUGARS

Chatham University enters its second season of varsity cross country competition in 2009.  The Cougars will benefit from the experience of five returning runners, led by senior Maggie Leathers who was Chatham’s top finisher in every meet in 2008.  Leathers was the 19^th finisher at the PAC Championships. Other returners are Samantha Greenwood, Justine Sumrok, Danielle Karhut and Brittany Goncar.

“After starting a program from scratch last year, we are excited for the chance to improve on what we learned a season ago and continue to build a competitive team,” said second-year head coach Hadara Adelson. The team will compete against several PAC teams during the regular season when they attend invitationals at Westminster, Waynesburg and Saint Vincent College.

Chatham will begin the season in a rare mid-week race against Point Park, Franciscan and LaRoche on Sept. 1. 


GENEVA GOLDEN TORNADOES

One of the many changes taking place for the 2009 Geneva College cross country team will be the man at the helm. The Golden Tornadoes open a new era this fall with first- year head coach Brian Yowler taking over for Bret Otte after an 11-year stint as head coach. Before Otte left the program he made sure that Yowler was coming into a program with an empty cupboard. After suffering through several years with a limited number of student-athletes on the roster, the 2009 edition will be reaching record heights. A total of 30 men and women will be toeing the line at practice and meets for the Golden Tornadoes. There will be 18 on the men’s roster and 11 running for the women.

In recent years it has been the women’s team that has carried the torch of success for the program. In fact, the entire women’s team qualified for the NCCAA national meet in 2008. That trend may be changing in 2009 with the addition of several key components for the men and the loss of several major contributors on the women’s side.

“It is certainly no real news flash that our women’s team has enjoyed more success recently than the men,” said Yowler. “We lost our top two runners on the women’s side in Rebecca (VanRegenmorter) and Nicole (Okerlund). We will need some of our younger runners to step up in fairly quick fashion.”

With only one senior on the women’s roster, it will be essential for contributions across the board. Leading that charge should be junior Sarah Davis, who has enjoyed the most success of any returning woman runner. “Sarah has great leadership qualities and will hopefully pick up where Rebecca and Nicole left off last year in terms of training and competing.”

Six freshmen will join the women’s team in 2009 and several of them will look to make immediate contributions. “We have some talented freshman,” said Yowler. “How quickly they can work themselves into the competitive mix will be the question.”

While the men’s team didn’t lose any runners to graduation, it may be without its top finisher because of injuries. Josh Falk, who qualified for the NCCAA national meet along with teammate Josh Gunnett (right), will make an early season decision as to whether he will compete this season or possibly be held out with a medical redshirt. “Josh is coming off injuries in the spring and has been unable to train up to his standards this summer so we will have to wait and see how he responds early in the fall.”

With Falk possibly out for the season, it will be Gunnett that will assume the top spot coming into the season. Gunnett enjoyed an outstanding freshman season concluding with his first trip to a NCCAA national meet.

After a season with only eight men on the roster, it will be a welcomed sight to have 18 coming into the 2009 season. “Our larger numbers should make a huge impact on the overall success of the program.” Yowler said. “We can take our younger runners along slowly and progress them up to a point when they are ready for college competition. Last year we were forced to throw some guys into the fire and we didn’t get great results.”

The Geneva men’s team finished sixth overall at the Presidents’ Athletic Conference meet while the women were third overall. “We want to continue building our program to a point where we are ready to compete for a championship when we become eligible two years from now. Right now we are focused on getting our student-athletes to improve on a daily basis.”

GROVE CITY WOLVERINES

The Grove City College men’s and women’s cross country teams enter the 2009 season with high expectations as several talented veterans return.

Each program looks to extend its respective streak of Presidents’ Athletic Conference titles. The men’s team will look for its 19th straight conference crown this fall while the women’s team will pursue a 21st consecutive PAC title.

Head coach Sean Severson will welcome back nine lettermen on the men’s side and 12 letter-winners on the women’s team.

Of the nine men who return, five have earned All-PAC honors during their career at Grove City.

Junior Garrett Cichowitz is back after earning NCAA All-Mideast Region honors in each of his first two seasons. As a sophomore, Cichowitz earned PAC Most Valuable Performer status and also made his first appearance at the NCAA Division III Championships.

Three senior letter-winners also return for Grove City this season in Andrew Falcone, Frankie Hourigan and Royce Hyland. All three veterans are expected to make significant contributions in 2009.

Falcone is a fourth-year performer who will challenge for a spot in Grove City’s top seven this year.

Hourigan capped a strong junior campaign by earning First Team All-PAC honors. Hourigan is a three-time All-PAC honoree and will likely be a fixture in the lineup again in 2009.

Hyland will look to cement a full-time spot in Grove City’s top seven after a solid junior season. He earned First Team All-PAC as a freshman in 2006 and has been a regular contributor throughout his career.

Juniors Gordon Grob and Cordell Oberholtzer also return as two-year lettermen. Grob earned First Team All-PAC as a freshman while Oberholtzer has been one of the Wolverines’ most consistent performers over the past two seasons.

Also back is junior John Fite, a second-year performer who lettered in 2008. Fite will battle for a spot in the lineup this year.

Sophomores Tyler Gheres and Ben Lutz both lettered as rookies and are also expected to compete for spots in the Wolverines’ top seven.

Grove City’s women’s cross country team features several returning standouts.

Five of Grove City’s 11 returning letter-winners earned all-conference accolades in 2008. Current juniors Brigitte Fryan (pictured left) and Emily Pierce both earned First Team All-PAC last season, as did sophomore Mary Rachel Robbins.

Rachel Nelson, the team’s lone senior, earned Second Team All-PAC last season as did current sophomore Allison Heslop.

Fryan is a two-time First Team All-PAC honoree who will look to move up in the lineup after two strong seasons as the Wolverines’ No. 3 runner. She narrowly missed All-Region honors in 2008 and will likely contend for All-Mideast status this fall.

Pierce also posted a strong 2008 season and will likely be a fixture in the lineup again this year.

Robbins, meanwhile, emerged late in her rookie season and will look to build off of that strong finish in 2009. Nelson and Heslop also finished strong in 2008 and are expected to challenge for spots in the lineup.

Juniors Marti Griwac, Hannah Helfer and Kate McRoberts are all back after earning two letters each during their first two seasons at Grove City. Three sophomores also return after lettering in 2008: Elisabeth Marsan, Kristen Slinkard and Marti Griwac.

SAINT VINCENT BEARCATS

With five of its top seven runners returning, the Saint Vincent women’s cross country team hopes to enjoy another successful season.

The Lady Bearcats, coached by Tom Harbert, return 14 runners total from a 2008 season in which they finished in the top half in every competition, culminating with a second place finish at the PAC Championship and a 12^th-place showing at the ECAC Championship.

Harbert’s top two runners – Katie Macioce (right) and Ivette Mejia – enter their second year on the squad after very impressive debut seasons. 

Macioce, a senior, joined the cross country team last season after making the switch from the soccer field, but she hardly looked like a newcomer. Last season, she was SVC’s first or second finisher in all seven of the Lady Bearcats’ competitions, including four top-10 performances. Consistent throughout the year, she finished on a high note, earning PAC Coaches Honors with a fifth-place time at the PAC Championships before taking 12-out-of-300 runners, at the ECAC Championship. 

“Katie is definitely one of our top runners,” Harbert said, “and one of our hardest workers.  She should be pretty big for us once again this year.”

Mejia, a sophomore, began her career with a bang, medaling in each of SVC’s first three meets, including a fifth-place finish at Westminster and a third-place time at Marietta. A slight injury hampered her midway through the season, but she came back strong and ended the season by earning PAC Coaches Honors by finishing 16^th at the conference championships.

“Ivette really proved to be a strong runner,” said Harbert. “She’s also one of our hardest workers, and even though her injury kept her from really peaking, she was still very good for us.”

Junior Claudia Arrunategui enters her third season on the squad, and has shown consistent improvement in each of her first two years at Saint Vincent. She finished in the team’s top four in six out of their seven events last season, including a 20^th-place performance at the PAC Championship.

Sophomore Crystal Sherlock was another impressive first-year runner in 2008, finishing in SVC’s top five in all seven meets, including a 15^th-place showing at the Saint Vincent Invitational and a 23^rd-place finish at the PAC Championship.

“Crystal proved to be an asset to last year’s team,” Harbert said.  “Her dedication and hard work should produce an even better season this year.”

Junior Emma Goetz is a fifth top-seven runner to return for the Lady Bearcats, after turning in a pair of top-20 performances in 2008, including a 14^th-place showing at the SVC Invitational, and she is another runner that has shown steady improvement, bringing her average 6K time under the 25-minute mark.

Harbert is eagerly anticipating the return of senior Kelsey Sullivan after a pair of injury-riddled campaigns. Sullivan turned in nine top-20 performances over her first two years at SVC, earning six medals in the span, while consistently posting sub-20-minute times. 

“Kelsey was an outstanding runner in her first two years,” Harbert says. “Her comeback is definitely welcomed, and she will no doubt strengthen our team.”

Katherine Stodola and Tausha Varner join Macioce and Sullivan in the team’s senior class, and both are considered quite valuable by Harbert.

Stodola was a consistent top-seven for SVC as a sophomore, before being hampered a season ago with leg injuries. 

“I know Stodola will be doing her best to return to her pre-injury form,” Harbert said.  “She will no doubt be working hard to get back into our top-seven.

“Tausha has been a consistent runner for us,” he continued, “and she is a strong motivator, helping the team tremendously.”

Juniors Brittany Fidazzo and Brenda Hartman, and sophomores Alyson Pajak, Carrie DiRisio, and Rachel Horne round out the Lady Bearcat returnees, while the team’s freshman class is a deep one, consisting of nine runners.

Overall, Harbert believes that his team could enjoy another strong season, and is eager to get started.

“We have a number of strong returnees,” he said, “and if we stay healthy, I think we should have another nice year after our second-place finish at the PAC championship last season. We also have a number of freshmen who could contribute right away. I’m excited to get started.”

The Lady Bearcats will participate in seven meets this season, beginning with the Sept. 5 California University (Pa.) Invitational.  The team will also host a pair of events on the year, including the annual Saint Vincent College Invitational (Sept. 26) as well as the 2009 PAC Championship (Oct. 31).

THIEL TOMCATS
As the 2009 season of Thiel College men’s and women’s cross country begins to dawn, reigning Presidents’ Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Kevin Pool, and his cast of runners have their sights set on one goal: the PAC Championship. 

The men will be lead by returning first team all-PAC runner, Richard Peterson and second team all-PAC performer Alex Bent.  Veteran distance men Bryan Montozzi, and Brendan DuLaney are coming off strong outdoor seasons, and will be expected to make an immediate impact this season, while veteran distance men Ben Moran and Sam Slaven round out the key returners from last year’s second-place team.

The women are looking to improve upon a sixth place finish at last year’s PAC championship. They will be led by second team all-PAC performer Tiffany Blosser. Flanking Blosser will be senior duo, Rebecca Walton and Sarah McAfee, who will be leaned on for their experience and leadership.

2009 looks to be a season to remember for Tomcat cross country. With both teams planning on improving upon last year’s finishes, Thiel’s third year back looks to be the charm.

THOMAS MORE SAINTS

Thomas More College men’s and women’s cross country teams are looking to compete for a Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) championship. Head coach Brian Alessandro is confident the Saints can improve on last year’s PAC finishes as the women’s team returns four runners and the men’s team returns three runners.

On the women’s side, the Saints return senior Rachel Krumpelbeck (right) and sophomores Graciela Reynolds, Brittney Finke and Kristina Marcelli. Krumpelbeck led the team last season at the PAC Championship Meet with a 26^th place finish with a time of 26:00.  Reynolds finished 39^th in 27:32, Finke in 54^th place in 29:09 and Marcelli finished with a time of 31:15 and in 65^th place.

On the men’s side, Alessandro has senior Josh Horn, junior Kyle Egan and sophomore Nathan Goodrich all back. Horn is the team captain and finished 37^th last season at the PAC Championship Meet with a time of 29:38. Egan was the Saints top finisher at the 2008 PAC Championships with a time of 29:04 and Goodrich finished right behind Horn in 38^th place with a time of 29:40.

Alessandro has added three men and five women to the list of returners. With the returners and the addition of the newcomers the Saints are looking to compete for titles in 2009.

WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON PRESIDENTS

Washington & Jefferson College Head Cross Country Coach Mark FitzPatrick will be relying on youth during the 2009 season. The Presidents have only two seniors, Bryan Hanrahan and Will Seymour, on both rosters this fall, but FitzPatrick is expecting both squads to improve upon last year's fourth-place PAC finishes.  

Hanrahan leads the men's returnees after notching Second Team All-Presidents' Athletic Conference laurels a year ago. Hanrahan placed No. 15 at the conference championships with a season-best time of 28:31 in the 8K race.  

Seymour collected a season-best 8K time of 28:32 at the Oberlin College Inter-Regional Rumble in October. Sophomore Adam Toomey is also expected to contribute to the Presidents' lineup, while five new faces will help the team's depth. 

Three of the top seven men from a year ago are not competing for the 2009 squad as the trio is studying abroad for the fall semester. Senior Josh Bashioum (Egypt), and juniors Richard Koch (France) and Andrew Howard (China) have taken their studies overseas for the first half of the academic year. 

The W&J women will be without four-time All-Region performer Erin Long, who graduated as the most decorated women's cross country runner in school history.   

Junior Laura Procario brings the most experience to the 2009 squad. The team captain notched a season-best 6K time of 26:11 at Oberlin last year and also placed No. 30 at the PAC Championships. 

Sophomores Liann Correia and Kate Loy improved throughout their freshman seasons and will be looking to earn a spot in the lineup each week. Loy finished the season with a 6,000 meter, career-best time of 27:45 at the PAC Championships, while Correia (29:14) posted her top mark in the 6K at Oberlin. 

W&J opens the 2009 season on Sept. 12 at the Waynesburg Invitational. The PAC Championship will be on the line Oct. 31 in Latrobe, Pa. 

WAYNESBURG YELLOW JACKETS

Going into his 11^th season as head coach for the Waynesburg University cross country team, Blair Zimmerman faces a first for his coaching career. This year, the Yellow Jacket men’s runners actually out-number the women.

The Jacket men, who are coming off of a sixth-place finish at last fall’s PAC championship meet, are led by juniors Bill Moder and Adam Swingle (pictured, foreground), who anchored the team last year and are coming off of solid track and field seasons this past spring. Moder was also named a PAC Cross Country Runner of the Week in 2008. Zimmerman was also impressed with Moder’s offseason work this summer.

Seniors Mike Harwick (pictured, background) and Shea Gottschalk complete a solid core of returners that Zimmerman believes will be helped out by a very talented group of freshmen that he feels will contribute from day one.

Matt Crawford, Kyle Edwards, Chris Mullins and Shea’s younger brother Shalan Gottschalk, all bring solid high school resumes with them to Waynesburg, including Edwards, who qualified for the Pennsylvania state championships as a senior at Saegertown High School.

Between the improvement of the returners and the infusion of new talent from the freshmen, Zimmerman feels that this is the year that the Jacket men begin to close the gap between themselves and their female counterparts.

The Jacket men open their season on Sept. 5, when they travel to Maryland to take part in the Sea Gull Opener, which will be hosted by Salisbury University. 

On the women’s side, Zimmerman faces the unenviable task of replacing arguably the most accomplished runners in the history of the women’s program, Megan Grover.

Last year, Grover earned first-team All-PAC honors, was a four-time conference runner of the week and just missed out on qualifying for the Division III national championships.

However, finding new talent after the loss of some great runners is nothing new for Zimmerman as he has lost his top five runners from 2007 and 2008 over the last two years.

To help counter the loss of Grover and others from last year’s squad, which finished second at the 2008 PAC Championships, Zimmerman is hoping that a small, but solid group of first-year runners can help take some of the sting out of the losses from last year.

That group, which includes freshmen Elizabeth Johnson, Casey Morris and Megan Donovan, along with first-year junior Sarah Rood, has given Zimmerman some confidence in the 2009 season.

When it comes to returners, senior Janet Carson, juniors Heather Flower and Katie Vislosky, sophomores Michelle Gottschalk, Michelle Naymick and Jordan Miller are all back to try to continue the team’s recent tradition of success.

Zimmerman has been particularly impressed with Naymick’s offseason work and expects big things from the Uniontown native.

The Jacket women get the 2009 season underway on Sept. 5, when they travel to Maryland to take part in the Sea Gull Opener, which will be hosted by Salisbury University. 

The following week, both the men’s and women’s squads will take part in the annual Waynesburg Invitational.

WESTMINSTER TITANS

No one is satisfied with third place at Westminster College. Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams took the No. 3 spot at last year’s Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Championships. Yes, third place may be respectable, but third-year head coach Tim McNeil expects more in the 2009 season.

“This has to be a breakout year for our cross country teams,” McNeil said.  “We are returning some seasoned veterans and have some fantastic newcomers joining the program. We have the numbers and talent to compete for the PAC Championship.”

The seasoned veterans on the men’s team are led by senior Jeremiah Patterson and sophomore Morgan Hanes. Patterson is a two-year letterman who earned second-team all-PAC honors each of the last two years. His highest finish at PACs was a 13^th-place time of 29:03 in the 8-kilometers last year. Hanes earned second-team all-PAC honors and the team’s MVP laurels during his rookie season last year while finishing eighth at PACs with a time of 27:30.

Senior Ethan Frey will also provide leadership after he lettered in 2007 and did not letter last year because of an internship.

On the women’s side, there are only five solid returning letter-winners and nine newcomers added to the fold that will make the Titans stronger in 2009.

Two of the five returning letter-winners include second-team all-PAC runners in seniors Elizabeth Beardsley (right) and Rachel Hudson (left). Beardsley, a two-time second-team all-PAC selection, ran a 6-kilometer time of 25:01 for 22nd place at PACs last year. Hudson, the reigning team MVP, earned her first all-PAC nod last year after running a school-record 6K time of 23:39 for eighth place at PACs.

Senior Amanda Everett will also be a leader and top runner for the Titans. A three-year letter-winner, Everett placed 24th at PACs with a 25:51 a year ago.

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