2003 Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Preview:

UMass Dartmouth cross country teams looking to build with returning veterans as men and women prepare for 2003

(Dartmouth, MA) -- UMass Dartmouth men’s and women’s cross country coach Jon Hird will be a busy man this Fall as his two squads have very different outlooks for the season. While his women’s team lost only one of its top five runners to graduation a year ago, his men’s team lost three of its top four.

But there are plenty of talented runners on both teams to give Coach Hird an optimistic outlook on the 2003 cross country season.

Men’s cross country preview:

Last season’s repeat of the Corsairs’ 2001 second-place finish in both the Little East Conference and the New England Alliance Conference Championships, as well as a very respectable 14th place finish in the highly competitive N.E. NCAA Regionals is a promising sign that the UMass Dartmouth Men’s Cross Country team has returned to the upper echelon among Division III teams in New England.

Duplicating the 2002 squad’s performance will not be easy however, with last year’s second through fourth runners lost to graduation. A relatively young sophomore group will lead the charge, and how quickly they mature into a seasoned unit will determine the Corsair’s fate in 2003, according to Hird.

Returning to lead UMass Dartmouth is sophomore co-captain Abdulgani Abdi (Brockton, MA), who led the Corsairs in six of eight meets last year. Abdi finished 21st in the New England NCAA Regionals last year and will be looking for a berth in the NCAA Nationals later this Fall.

Behind Abdi is where a number of fellow sophomores are going to have to mature into veteran performers. Co-captain Jeff Caron (E. Longmeadow, MA) will be looked at to help fill the gap. Running 16:21.64 in the 5k and 35:17.11 in the 10k last spring, Caron hopes to use those performances to springboard into the top three this fall. Mike LeBlanc (Fall River, MA) and Matt Coble (Marion) are two more sophomores expected to play a big part in the Corsair success this season. Both are 1500m runners in the spring with bests of 4:11.82 and 4:14.07 respectively as freshmen.

One veteran runner who adds experience to the Corsairs’ youth is senior co-captain Jay Van Vaerwenewyck (Sharon, MA), who is determined to rebound from a sub par 2002 campaign.

More help for the Corsairs should be found in sophomores Derek Brooks (Princeton, MA), who has been training very well, transfer Casey Cavanaugh, (Wilbraham, MA), and 2002 top five finisher Noel Kiley (Milton, MA). Juniors include middle distance runners Ken Wayman (E. Templeton, MA), Andy Gagnon (Tewksbury, MA) and Scott Whittle, (N. Dighton, MA). Freshmen include Jeff Bachand (Holland, MA), James Scanlon (Worcester, MA), Eric Spence (Marion, MA), and Phil Sullivan (Seekonk, MA).

Women’s cross country preview:

With only one loss among the top five due to graduation, and with five freshman training well and eager to join the Corsairs, 2003 might have one of the women’s cross country team’s best seasons since the new century began Hird said.

This year’s squad took a hit when junior co-captain Lindsay Nygaard, (Medway, MA) tore her anterior cruciate ligament in the steeplechase last spring, and her return for a portion of the fall is questionable.

Back to lead the Corsairs, however, is senior co-captain Carolyn Conroy, (Westport, MA) and junior Steph Hunt, (Shirley, MA). Conroy and Hunt traded leadership duties last year, and 2003 should be no exception. Rounding out the returning runners is junior Stefanie Zopatti, (Weymouth, MA), who was injury-plagued in 2002, but promises to make a much-needed contribution in 2003. Returning to the team after a year’s absence is senior Sarah Margarita, (Westport, MA), and after two seasons of track and field junior Kate Egnaczak, (Cheshire, MA) joins the cross country team.

According to Hird, the level of this year’s team success may rest with an influx of talent represented by a group of incoming freshmen, who will give the Corsairs as deep a team as UMass Dartmouth has had in some time.

Ashley Brown, (Cambridge, MA) brings with her outstanding performances from the 800m (2:19) to the 3000m (10:30) on the track, as well as a 19:45 cross country clocking at Franklin Park in Boston. Slowed by mononucleosis as a senior, Brown has worked hard this summer and will make her presence felt before the end of the season. Becky Mayer, (Arvada, CO) has not run cross country for long, but has improved quickly in the mile high atmosphere of Colorado, and may also make a significant contribution to the Corsairs by November.

Other first year runners, including Louisa Barnes (Dudley, MA), Sarah Hopkins (Duxbury, MA), another late convert to cross country, and Haley Lawson, (Adams, MA), round out what may turn out to be one of the Corsair’s best squads in years.

The Corsairs finished fourth in the New England Alliance Conference in 2002, third in the LEC, with both Hunt and Conroy being named All-Conference. 2003 should see UMass Dartmouth jump several places, and a great performance might see them chasing after 6th place NCAA Regional finisher Keene State. A top 15 finish in the fiercely competitive NCAA Regionals is also possible, said Hird.