2008 Cross Country Preview
8/27/2008 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Aug. 27, 2008
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The 2007 cross country season saw the Stephen F. Austin men turn in a fourth-place finish at the Southland Conference Championships, while the Ladyjacks came in third. That kind of showing doesn't constitute a down year. It just isn't up to the standard that the SFA distance program has set for itself over the last seven seasons.
When the 2007 campaign began, the Lumberjacks were coming off a second-place finish in 2006 and had won the SLC title in each of the previous five years. The SFA women's team came into 2007 with a run of five consecutive seasons finishing either first or second in the conference.
But the 2007 season was more about planning for the future than enjoying the present. All but one of a talented class of freshmen on the men's team spent last fall wearing red, instead of team colors, as did top returning runner Keith Mahipala. The women's team was led by a pair of veteran runners but lacked experienced depth, as three of its top four finishers at the SLC meet were redshirt freshmen or younger.
With that season in his wake and the 2008 campaign ready to kick off, sixth-year cross country coach Lou Snelling believes his squads are on a course that will bring them right back to the forefront of the SLC cross country picture.
"The whole idea is that we went through that last year so that we could get back to the high level of performance we expect in the next couple of years," Snelling said. "We're definitely better right now than we were last year. It's just a question of how much better can we get this fall."
Ladyjacks
With a solid group of returners and a pair of blue-chip recruits in the 2008 class, Snelling is already eager to find out what his Ladyjacks can do.
"This is probably as excited as I've been about the potential of a women's team since 2003," he said.
That was Snelling's first season at SFA, and it was one to remember. The Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks each won SLC team titles and swept the individual championships. Both teams posted scores that were then record-lows for their respective programs.
The women's team won in dominant fashion, with veteran Ana Rodriguez taking the individual title and freshman Ashley Monteau finishing second.
"Our success that year was a matter of our returners doing exactly what they were supposed to do, then having some young runners step up," Snelling said. "It will take a similar performance this year, if our girls want to be in the mix for a conference title. And I think we definitely can be there."
With one junior and a quartet of sophomores, this year's group of returners is still young, but has enough experience and talent to make an impact on the SLC.
The class is headed by redshirt sophomore Amy Shackelford. She was the second Ladyjack across the line at last year's SLC cross country meet and led the team with a top-50 finish at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships. She went on to post all-conference times in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the SLC Outdoor Championships.
Classmates Meredith Blocker and Marie Flores enjoyed solid showings in their true freshman year. Blocker was the third runner to finish at the SLC Championships and made the top five at the regional meet. At the SLC Outdoors, she was all-conference in the steeplechase. Flores made the top seven at the conference cross country meet and broke 10:30 in the 3,000 meters during the indoor season.
The lone junior in the group, Heather Adams, despite her experience, is a virtual unknown to most conference foes, having spent much of her career to this point battling ailments. She did post a scoring performance in the 10,000 meters at last year's SLC Outdoors.
"Heather kind of started with a bang as a freshman, but she's had some injuries since then," Snelling said. "She's back now and has been healthy for a while. She has the talent, it's just a matter of staying well and taking that next step."
Sophomore Megan Jenkins will also figure in the mix. After finishing out of the top five in the first two meets last fall, Jenkins stepped up and was the fourth Ladyjack across the line at the SLC Championships. She was fourth again at regionals, then redshirted the indoor and outdoor seasons.
"That group is heading in an exciting direction, and they're going to make a major impact on the conference this year," Snelling said. "They've really bought into what we're doing. They're self-motivated, and they want to achieve big things as individuals and as a team."
As confident as Snelling is in his veteran women, he may be just as excited about the Ladyjack newcomers. The four-woman class includes two of the strongest high school runners in the state of Texas and figures to have a lasting impact on the Southland.
"This is a talented, talented recruiting class," Snelling said. "I think it's the best class, in terms of female distance athletes, ever at SFA, and I think it's one of the best in the conference, ever."
Headliners Brittainy Robertson and Stephanie Ganter have both been timed at under 11 minutes in the 3,200 meters, and Robertson has been a sub-five-minute miler since her sophomore year. She finished fourth at the Class 5A state cross country championships in each of her last two seasons.
"Brittainy established herself as a major player in Texas high school running early on," Snelling said. "She's a big-time name who accomplished a lot at the 5A level. She's going to be a huge impact on the team."
Ganter medaled in both the 3,200 and 1,600 at the Class 4A state championships last spring and was fourth in the state cross country meet her senior year.
"Stephanie really developed well her last couple of years, when she backed off of soccer and really focused on track and cross country," Snelling said. "As a senior, she was fourth in the state in cross country, third in the mile and second in the two-mile, and I think that's just the tip of the iceberg. This is just the beginning for her."
The class is rounded out by Brette Fleming-Wood and Randi Wymer.
"Brette is going to make an impact in cross country and in the 5,000 and 10,000 during track season," Snelling said. "She was kind of under the radar in high school, but she has an awesome drive and work ethic."
Snelling said he plans to be generous with the opportunities for his freshmen, eschewing the typical redshirt season, especially for Robertson and Ganter.
"I feel like we can be right there close to the top at conference, so we've got to go for it," he said.
Lumberjacks
With three of the four true freshmen on last year's men's team redshirting, the Lumberjacks were obviously stacking the deck for the future. But the biggest ace in that hole was junior Keith Mahipala.
He sat out last fall after spending the 2006 campaign training with a Lumberjack squad that featured five fifth-year seniors. Mahipala returns as the lone junior on this year's team after an impressive spring on the track. He turned in an NCAA qualifying mark in the steeplechase and went on to earn all-conference honors with a third-place showing in the event at the SLC Outdoors. He also scored in 5,000 meters at the outdoor championships and posted scoring performances in both the 3,000 and 5,000 at the SLC Indoors.
Sophomore Dennis Yeats will help Mahipala lead the pack after an impressive true freshman campaign. Yeats was the top finisher for SFA in three of its four races last fall, including the SLC Championships and NCAA regionals. He scored points at the SLC Indoors before redshirting the outdoor season.
Redshirt freshman Mitch Ownbey figures to chase Mahipala and Yeats to the finish line this fall. Ownbey only ran the indoor season in uniform a year ago, but has already impressed Snelling with his talent. He scored in the 5,000 at the indoor championships and ran one of the best times in the SLC in the 5,000 in his first race of the outdoor season before illness sidelined him.
"Those three, those are our guys, right there," Snelling said. "That's our core group. You can bank on it, as long as they're healthy, they're going to be our top three. So the question is, `Who steps in to our four and five spots?'"
Those last two positions could be filled by a number of different Lumberjacks. Redshirt freshman Logan Smart is a possibility after scoring points in the steeplechase at last spring's SLC Outdoors. Ditto for Sam Hulse, another redshirt from 2007 who performed solidly in the spring. Sophomore Elliot Starcevich was in SFA's top five a year ago and scored points in the 1,500 meters at the SLC Outdoors.
A pair of true freshmen, Xavier Rodriguez and Harmon McClanahan, could potentially push for opportunities, as well.
"What's exciting about this team," Snelling said, "and this isn't to look past this fall, because I don't want to do that. But what's exciting with this group is that all these guys are back next year. Every one of them.
"These guys really understand what we're trying to do, and they've bought into the philosophy and the goals of the program. They want to do big things as a team, because they understand the history of the program and where it's been. And they also want to do big things individually, so they can put their names among the greats in program history who preceded them and possibly surpass their achievements."
