UMass Dartmouth cross country teams ready to
challenge for LEC and New England Alliance titles

(Dartmouth, MA) -- As UMass Dartmouth cross country coach Jon Hird looks over his roster of men's and women's runners for the Fall 2000 season, he sees plenty of talented athletes. The problem for the Corsairs is that both teams don't share much in common.

The men's team enters the season without a lot of experience but with some promising newcomers ready to join the team. In the case of the Corsairs' women's team, the story is somewhat different. UMass Dartmouth lost only one runner from an over-achieving team last year and appear ready to make a serious run at the top of the Little East Conference and the New England Alliance.

UMass Dartmouth's men's team enters this season hoping to make continued progress toward their accustomed sport near the top of the Little East Conference, the New England Alliance and New England Division III. Without the services of last year�s top runner, Jeff Reed, who will take a semester off from competition due to a conflicting academic schedule, the Corsairs will look to senior captain Pat Gallagher (Fairhaven, MA) and sophomore Jeremy Nute (Westboro, MA) to carry the leadership load in Reed�s absence. Hird will also be counting on strong contributions from returning runners junior Brian Akeley (Swampscott, MA) and sophomores Pat Joyce (Weymouth, MA) and Ryan Wilhelmi (Franklin, MA).

What has caught Hird's attention for Fall 2000 is the crop of what he termed "an untested but potentially talented group of freshmen, who seem eager to help the upper classmen reach the top of the LEC and the New England Alliance."

Among the talented newcomers to the men's team are one of the top high school runners in Massachusetts last year, Ahmed Sharifnoor (East Boston, MA), who was the Massachusetts and New England outdoor 800 meter championship last spring, running a 1:54.76. Hird is also looking forward to first year runners Chad Mongeau (Andover, MA), Ryan Hunt (Pembroke, MA) and Jay Cunha (Fairhaven, MA).

"Injuries took their toll on our squad last year," said Hird who is entering his 14th season as the Corsairs' cross country coach. "This year�s largely untested squad will need to remain healthy to rebound from that injury-marred season."

Hird thinks UMass Dartmouth has more talent coming into the program this season than in any of the last several seasons, but that experience will be at a premium with only Gallagher, Nut and Wilhelmi having any extensive collegiate experience.

"For us to be successful this season, the rest of the squad will have to learn how to be top notch contributors in a hurry," said Hird, who will be joined by assistant coach Joe McCarthy again this season. "I think they have the talent to do it."

While the men"s team appears untested, such is not the case with the Corsairs" women�s team. UMass Dartmouth lost only one runner from last year's team which surprised many of its opponents. With only one returning veteran a year ago, UMass Dartmouth finished second among LEC Schools and fourth overall in the New England Alliance.

With a group of returning veterans and a couple of transfer students with experience, UMass Dartmouth's women appear ready to make a serious run at the top of the LEC and New England Alliance.

"Last year's team performed beyond expectations and I think this year's team is ready to carry that momentum to a greater level of success this year," Hird said.

Returning for the Fall 2000 will be senior captain Jackie Gorski (Warwick, RI) along with sophomores Randi Sullivan (Seekonk, MA) and Sarah Margarida (Westport, MA). Bringing some much-needed depth to the team this Fall will be the addition of senior transfer Shelly Kenyon (Fall River, MA) and former star runner from Durfee High School in Fall River and a transfer from the University of New Hampshire. She will be joined by sophomore Kelly O�Driscoll (Westport, MA), a transfer student from the University of Connecticut, who ran a 19:19 5000 meters on track last year. Other newcomers to the program include sophomore Kelly Sonsava (Haverhill, MA) and Claire Decker (Middletown, RI).

"Southern Maine will be one of the main challenges in the LEC but with top efforts from both old and new runners, this team could be in the hunt for its seventh LEC title in the last 11 years," said Hird.

UMass Dartmouth opens its season at the Wheaton College Relays on Sept. 2 and the Amherst College Relays on Sept. 9, before hosting the annual UMass Dartmouth Invitational on Sept. 16. The annual Little East Conference/New England Alliance Championships will be held on Oct. 28 at Rhode Island College.

The top Division III cross country runners in New England will again descend on UMass Dartmouth later this Fall. For the second year in a row, UMass Dartmouth will serve as the host institution for the annual Division III New England Regional Cross Country Championships on November 11.